Mizuki and Yuuta's Wedding
by strangertrack
Summary: [COMPLETE] It's the event of the century and everyone's invited... and I do mean everyone.
1. Preparations

**MIZUKI AND YUUTA'S WEDDING**

**Preparations**

Divorces were generally messy things. There were a lot of hurt feelings when a marriage disintegrated, resulting in a bitter struggle to regain dignity and some semblance of control. Custody of children, the house, the car, the ugly lamp that Uncle Toshi gave them for Christmas five years ago... _everything_ suddenly became a precious commodity that the person couldn't live without.

It wasn't a money issue; it was about making the one who filed for a divorce pay, and own up to the fault. Yes, it wasn't _her_ fault that he wanted out to marry his secretary, with whom he'd been having an affair for the past four years. She was a blameless victim. It was all _his_ fault, so _he_ should have to pay for all the suffering he was putting her through.

So was the case of Yui. She had alternated between sobbing and wanting her husband back, and ranting at how the cheating, lying douchebag deserved that slut he was running around with.

Right now, she was at the spiteful stage. "I want to bleed him dry," she confided angrily. "Take him for every last yen and ban him from ever seeing the children."

Her lawyer nodded understandingly. "Don't worry about a thing," he said softly as he handed her a tissue. "We'll take good care of you."

Yui dabbed at her eyes gratefully. Fuji-san was such a gentleman! He listened, really listened as she bitched and moaned all the things she'd been dying to voice, the sympathetic smile never leaving his face. He wasn't exactly handsome, but there was an open pleasantness to his expression that made him easy to talk to.

If she knew what he was thinking, she might have found him a lot less appealing.

Currently, Fuji Syusuke was thinking how much misery there was in the world. All these people, people who had vowed to love and cherish each other for eternity, were destroying long-standing relationships out of selfishness, leaving behind nothing but broken hearts and shattered dreams. And he was lucky enough to have a front-row seat to the show when it all blew up. He _loved_ his job.

He took perverse pleasure from seeing other people suffer, but that didn't mean he was a bad person. It wasn't like he was going out and deliberately breaking people up so he could bask in their suffering. His job actually _helped_ his clients, minimizing their losses in a no-win situation, and weren't the actions and the beneficial results more important than his admittedly sadistic motive?

Fuji uncrossed his legs and rose, signaling the end of the interview. "I'll set up a meeting for us with Satoshi-san and his lawyer," he said in a soothing voice. "And we'll see what we can do."

After he had escorted her out the door, he checked the time. There was still an hour before the general meeting, so he should probably get a draft of the complaint written up now, so he could go home right afterwards.

He spotted the blinking light on his mobile.

"A text message."

Sharp blue eyes scrolled down the words. Once he had finished reading, he switched on his intercom.

"Tohru, cancel my appointments for the week and shuffle around my assignments to the others. I'm afraid something urgent has come up."

xxxxx

Clad only in boxers, Mizuki stood in front of the mirror, eyeing his reflection critically. He held the purple top in front of him, then the one that was navy blue. Purple _was_ his favorite color, but the blue went nicer with his eyes, he supposed. He reluctantly set down the purple with the other garments scattered on top of the bed and picked up the white pants to see its combination with the blue. Then, he did the same for the gray slacks and the black dress pants. Finding the right outfit required more than just making sure things didn't clash.

Yuuta hugged him from behind, garments and all. "You'll look fine whatever you wear," he reassured.

"I don't want to look _fine_," Mizuki frowned and pulled away slightly. "I want to look my best, so I can make a good impression."

"But my parents already love you," Yuuta pointed out as he flopped onto the bed full-length. Clothes got crushed under his weight but he didn't care. He grabbed a fluffy pillow to prop himself up with and squish as he talked. "I mean, after they got over the shock of it all, they couldn't have been happier. And Yumiko-neesan is always talking about how cute you are."

To be accurate, what she had said was that Mizuki, with his prettyboy features and fashion sense that screamed 'I'm gay!' was like an adorable little uke straight from a shoujo manga. But there was no need for him to know the specifics, especially the 'little' part. Mizuki was a tad touchy about his height, especially since Yuuta had grown to top six feet.

Mizuki looked pleased with the Fuji family endorsement, but then thought of something. "What about your brother?" he asked as he plopped down on the bed next to him, sounding way too casual. He idly traced patterns on the sheets. "Did he say anything when he called you?"

"Not much," Yuuta replied evasively. Seeing that Mizuki still looked unconvinced, he twined their fingers together and added, "Look, what happened between you two was over a decade ago. I'm sure he got over it."

"Mm. I'm sure."

It was funny how insecure Mizuki was. When Yuuta had first met him, he'd been full of self-importance to the point of arrogance, but that turned out to be a facade (for the most part anyway). He was harder on himself than he let on, and Yuuta felt privileged to know that Mizuki trusted him enough to let his guard down around him. He couldn't imagine what life would have been without him.

Even without his family's support, Yuuta would have stayed with Mizuki. It didn't matter if Fuji Syusuke continued to snub him - _Yuuta_ loved him. The words were there, but he couldn't quite say it. He had never been the sappy type.

Abandoning his pillow, Yuuta rolled on top of Mizuki, catching the pouting lower lip and nibbling at it gently. Slowly, he coaxed Mizuki into a deeper kiss, hands wandering down the expanse of bare skin. He hoped the tenderness of his actions expressed how he felt about his lover.

"No more talking about my brother," he murmured as Mizuki squirmed beneath him, delicious little moans and whimpers escaping his throat. "It kills the mood."

Mizuki was only too happy to oblige.

xxxxx

Fuji Syusuke showed up a few minutes early and was glad he did. The sushi shop was packed with customers, every table filled and more people waiting by the entrance. Spotting a few empty stools by the counter, he made his way over and laid his suit jacket over the seat next to his to claim it.

Then, he leaned forward, chin propped up with one hand as he watched the chef shaping rice behind the glass partition.

He watched for a few minutes before speaking. "Ne, Taka-san. You've gotten a lot better at that."

His soft but well-modulated voice carried over the din, causing Kawamura Takashi to look up.

"FUJI?"

Kawamura hurriedly finished up the sushi he was making and set it down. In a flash, he was around the counter, wiping his hands on his apron before hugging his old friend and occasional doubles partner.

"It's been so long!" he exclaimed, stepping back to look him over. The soft lines of adolescence was replaced by a more angular, mature look, but there was no mistaking the horseshoe eyes and the smiling face.

"It has, hasn't it?" Fuji settled back into his seat. "This place seems really popular," he commented, and as if to prove his point, the bell above the entrance jingled once more.

"I told you I left it in the top drawer," Yuuta's brash voice carried over quite well, tone slightly exasperated.

To this his companion retorted, "You did not. You said you left it _on_ the dresser."

"Why would I- ugh! You're impossible," Yuuta growled. "I don't know wh- Ah! Aniki!" he broke off as he spotted Fuji, waving him over.

"I _really_ don't want to do this," Mizuki whined with sudden panic.

Yuuta clamped down on his arm and dragged him over anyway.

"Yuuta." Fuji looked thrilled to see him. "I saved you a seat." He removed his jacket and indicated the spot, completely ignoring Mizuki.

Mizuki had planned to be gracious, letting bygones-be-bygones and all that, but it looked like he wouldn't be given that chance. He bristled as Fuji continued to inquire about Yuuta's health and his life without a second glance in his direction. Yuuta remained standing, trying to interject a proper reintroduction but not even having the time to finish an answer in between the rapid questioning.

Taking a deep breath, Mizuki cut in. "Hello, Fuji-kun."

Fuji looked surprised, as if he had just noticed that his brother wasn't alone. The act would have been more convincing if Mizuki hadn't heard Yuuta's conversation the night before, specifically mentioning that the _both_ of them would meet with Fuji and would his brother _please_ be nice?

"Oh. Hello... eto...?"

"Mi-zu-ki Ha-ji-me," he reminded through gritted teeth, deliberately drawing out the syllables although he was certain a poor memory wasn't to blame to Fuji's constant 'forgetting' of his name. Yuuta patted him on the arm consolingly, and that was enough to make him glad he kept his temper.

"Oh, yes. Mizuki-san." Fuji inclined his head at him slightly. "How could I forget?"

"Hoi hoi! Your wedding planner's here!" Kikumaru Eiji's timely entrance broke the tension in the air. He was easily recognizable, what with the dark red hair flipped-out as always and the trademark bandaid on his face. He bounced over to them, thunking down his oversized shoulder bag on the floor and flipping open the huge book he was carrying.

"Wedding planner?" Kawamura blinked in confusion.

"I found the _perfect_ dress!" Eiji crowed, and with one sweep of the arm, cleared the countertop of condiments. He set down the book and pointed triumphantly. "Ta da!"

"Ooooo." They all looked at the magazine clipping, admiring the folds of the Victorian-style wedding dress.

"Isn't it awesome? There are some others, too-" Eiji rustled through the pages too quickly for anyone to see more than a white blur "-including ones I was considering for my own wedding. But the first one really stood out."

"I like the bodice on the fourth one," Fuji commented, causing everyone to sweatdrop. "It really accentuates the hips and waist."

"Fuji!" Kikumaru glomped onto him. "It's been a long time since we talked nya! You didn't even drop by during our housewarming party."

"Ahaha, gomen, gomen," Fuji apologized. "Work came up. How's Oishi?"

"He's been running ragged now that Kenji-chan's started to crawl. That boy gets into everything! We found him in the cabinets the other day, tossing sugar all over the place nya!" He threw up his arms to illustrate, sounding as happy as if he was creating havoc himself.

Mizuki had slipped into the seat and was browsing the photographs at a more leisurely pace, Yuuta peering over his shoulder with minimal interest.

"These are too expensive though," Mizuki sighed wistfully, noting the prices. Yuuta nodded in silent agreement. He hated depriving his lover of anything but they simply couldn't afford it. All the other costs of the wedding would add up, and the guest list had already been expanded to ten times what they had originally planned.

"Ne, Yuuta. I'll pay for the wedding dress-" Fuji announced suddenly.

Mizuki's eyes widened with hope.

"-if _you_ wear it," he finished up with a sly smile. "I'd love to get a picture."

"You wouldn't catch me dead in one of them," Yuuta said flatly. "We'll both go with tuxes."

Eiji slammed the book shut, almost closing it on Mizuki's fingers. He brought out another book, this time filled with pictures of male attire. "I guess we can find something for you too, Fuji," he chirped as they thumbed through it. "Seeing as you're best man and all."

The four of them argued their way through the options together, with Kawamura giving occasional input now that he understood what was going on. After the clothing decisions came music, location, and so on. Catering was solved easily when Kawamura insisted he provide for the whole affair as a wedding present. The two broke men were only too happy to accept.

"Now I've brought some flower samples," Eiji rummaged through his bag and produced a mixed bouquet of quite wilted and squashed flowers. "Um... but maybe it's better to actually go there!"

He tossed up his arms in excitement and hopped up and down a few times.

"Yay! Let's go visit ochibi nya!"

xxxxx

Girls in high school uniforms milled around the shop and spilled onto the streets. Those on the outside stood on their tiptoes, trying to catch a glimpse of the florists.

"Kawaii," one girl breathed, looking faint.

"We're so lucky! All four of them are here today!" another squealed with excitement.

"Ne, I did a background check on them. Wanna hear?"

"Of course!"

The girl proceeded to rattle off stats to other swooning fangirls in a scene that could have been ripped off from an episode of Weiss Kreuz (and in fact, was).

There was a redhead, a promising ex-athlete, a smoker who did more standing around than actual working, a woman in a rocking chair with a cat, and a boy who was really too old to be called a boy, but will always look too young to be labeled a man. People would be surprised to hear that this boy, with his long sloppy bangs, innocent wide-set eyes, and a body too small for his age, actually ran things behind the scene. Currently, he was lurching around, trying to move a potted plant that probably weighed more than he did.

"Aa-!" he panicked as his green headband slipped over his eyes. His temporary blindness caused him to lose his balance and fall back, but a pair of arms caught him before he could hit the floor. Considering that he wasn't being groped, he deduced that it was one of the other florists. He peered up, tilting his head back to see his rescuer.

"You okay, chibi?" Sengoku made sure he had regained his footing before releasing him and ruffling his dark hair fondly.

"Senpai," Taichi said sternly, pushing his headband back all the way up with the heel of one hand. He looked about as threatening as a declawed kitten. "You missed your morning shift. Do you know how busy I was, trying to help the customers all by myself?"

Sengoku made a puppy face. "But I ran into this beautiful woman who practically _begged_ for my help," he explained earnestly. "How could I turn her away?"

Akutsu made a rude sound. "Feh. You're useless," he stated, then returned to his busy task of standing there, doing absolutely zip. The girls marveled at his silent mysteriousness as he blew out a puff of cigarette smoke that caused all of them to choke and wheeze with what was probably the early symptoms of lung cancer. He glowered menacingly, as if he was thinking of shouting "SHI-NE!" to anyone who dared disturb him.

The last of the florist bishies was glaring at the person in the rocking chair. "Tomoka, give me back my cat and go home already."

"No! Not until you agree to go on a date with me!" she stubbornly insisted. Karupin yowled as she clutched onto him, hissing and scratching at her lap.

Echizen Ryoma was frustrated. He had thought he had ditched the annoying girls when he quit tennis five years ago, after the game where he had finally beat his old man. But nooo... every single day, Tomoka would come here, and every single day, she'd take his precious Karupin-chan hostage to negotiate for a date. It wasn't like he was opposed to the idea of dating and it wasn't even that Tomoka had the most annoying voice in the universe. It was the matter of Tomoka being... well... flat.

_Why was it that all the girls that clung to him were these anorexic girls with stick figures anyway?_ Ryoma thought resentfully. Sengoku tried to cheer him up by saying they were cute but he wasn't interested in 'cute'. He wanted 'sexy' and 'stacked' and preferably 'naked'.

Yes, two decades and some odd years of Nanjiroh's dirty comments and pervy magazines had finally rubbed off on Samurai Junior. He, like his hentai father, spent much of his time off ogling glossies of half-naked chicks posed in provocative positions. Like Miss July 2010. Man... was there a finer ass or a more perfect set of twins that that?

He drifted into a daydream, unconsciously stepping forward with a spacey, lecherous expression on his face - the very same one that sent schoolgirls running away screaming from his father.

"He-hey! What are you doing?" Her panicked voice didn't stop him so Tomoka threw the cat in self-defense. This bought her enough time to scramble out of her chair and push her way out. "Weirdo pervert!" she screamed as she ran down the street.

"Hm... didn't she go to our school?" Fuji asked as she raced by fast enough for street debris to be lifted up.

Eiji shrugged and started to elbow his way through the wall of girls. "Mou, it's always so crowded here," he complained as his bag banged against some unsuspecting girl and got stuck. He looked back to see how the others were faring. They stood well outside the crowd, not making a move to follow him.

"What's the matter?" Eiji asked, clambering back to them. It was much easier getting out than in.

"I'm not going in there," Mizuki and Yuuta chorused.

"What about that place?" Fuji added, nodding over to the flower shop across the street. Despite the beautiful arrangements and the dirt-cheap prices advertised in the windows, it was completely deserted. "It looks nice enough."

They eyed the suspiciously empty shop and then the crowd of squealing fangirls, and as one, marched across the street.

"Welcome." They were greeted by a rather flat and quiet voice.

"Oi! It's you! The mumbler from Fudomine!" Eiji cried happily.

There was a pause, then a flicker of recognition. "Ah-" Ibu Shinji fell silent again. Then, "Hello."

"We need flowers," Mizuki prompted.

"Oh, that's nice," Shinji blinked. "Flowers are nice to look at."

"Er..."

"Maybe we should take our chances with the other shop," Yuuta whispered. It apparently wasn't quietly enough, for Shinji picked up on it and started his habit.

"The other shop? You mean Echizen's shop. Lucky him. He gets all the customers. It's because he got the last pruning shears. I wanted them," Shinji mumbled, intonation rising slightly on the last part. Fuji left the others in favor of circling the store, looking at the various flowers and leaning over to sniff at selected ones.

Mizuki and Yuuta took his cue and started to browse, with Shinji right at their heels, still talking. "I challenged him to a game for them but he refused. He said he doesn't play tennis anymore. That's such a waste for him, to quit. But then, I quit too so I guess I can't say anything. Besides, it's his life."

Forty minutes and thousands of words later, Mizuki and Yuuta placed their final order and made arrangements for the delivery.

"Well, it's really happening. We're really going to get married."

xxxxx

**to be continued**

xxxxx

August 20, 2003

xxxxx

Author's Note: Does anyone else have a problem deciding how to refer to the characters? I tend to use last names, but with Fuji Yuuta, Kikumaru Eiji, Dan Taichi, Echizen Ryoma, Ibu Shinji, I just couldn't. It sounded too weird.

This was originally supposed to be a reunion fic to see what kind of jobs the TeniPuri characters would have in the future, but the idea's been tweaked to revolve around Mizuki and Yuuta's wedding (hey, _I_ think they're cute together). The story will only be 2-3 parts, but I'm going to try and include the minor characters as well (I actually looked up the names of Arai's two pals for this -;;). So look forward to their appearance, minna!


	2. Gathering

**MIZUKI AND YUUTA'S WEDDING**

**Gathering**

No wedding was complete without a bachelor party, Eiji decided, so he spent the next three days rounding up the old crew. He followed Oishi's advice about calling Inui first, and was able to get most of the current telephone numbers without having to search through the phonebook.

"So you'll come, right?" he asked for the _n_th time. "It's _really_ important for them that you be there."

"I don't even know the guy," Youhei puzzled.

"Either of them," Kouhei contributed on the second line.

"Details, details," Eiji dismissed breezily. "Just make sure to come by nine tonight." He proceeded to wrangle a promise of attendance from the twins, gave directions to his house, and hung up.

"Well, that's everyone from Johsei Shounan!" Eiji crossed off the names and drew a little smiley face. "And from Fudomine, Hyotei, Yamabuki, St. Rudolph, and of course, Seigaku," he counted off.

Oishi plopped down on the sofa next to him, bleary-eyed and holding a squirming child in his arms. Late night feedings would be a lot easier if Eiji helped out once in a while but Eiji only liked participating in the fun parts of parenthood.

"Are you sure we can't hold it anywhere else?" Oishi asked worriedly as Kenji reached up and grabbed ahold of one of his bangs. He shuddered at the thought of their child crawling into a room full of rambunctious young men - men cheering and hooting as some sleazy stripper performed lap dances for people that were getting married two days later.

What was the point of bachelor parties again?

"You should have said something before nya. I already told everyone it'll be here." Eiji chucked their son under the chin, eliciting a burbly laugh.

"Won't it be fun, Ken-chan?" he cooed. "We're going to see all those guys Daddy and Papa beat!"

Oishi rolled his eyes. Sometimes, he wondered who was the bigger child, the one on his lap or the one to his right. But still, he had to give credit where it was due. "I can't believe you actually pulled together a wedding-"

"AND a bachelor party."

"-and a bachelor party," Oishi agreed, "in one week." He glanced at the notepad. "How come Kaidoh's name isn't crossed?" he asked. "He isn't coming?"

"Nn," Eiji shook his head. "The frowny faces are for people not coming. I couldn't reach him yet." He flipped his pen around his wrist and caught it, much in the way he used to with his tennis racket. "I know if I leave a message, he'll ignore it."

Flip. Catch.

"I'll have to talk to him in person."

"So you can twist his arm to come?" Oishi asked dryly.

"Exactly!" Eiji closed his eyes and tapped the pen against his temple, face scrunched in concentration. "I know!" he exclaimed a few second later, jumping up. You could practically see the light going on in his head. "I'll go visit him at work!"

"W-wait!" Oishi protested, half-standing and holding out their son. "You agreed to take care of Kenji this afternoon!"

"No time. I'm on a mission nya!" Eiji was already moving out the door, jacket in hand. "Love you, you're the best, be back in a bit!"

"Mou.. your father's so irresponsible," the poor 'mother' mourned, sinking back into the cushions. Kenji giggled in agreement.

xxxxx

It took him a good fifteen minutes before he found it, and once he did, he realized he'd already passed it three times. He never would have suspected it - Kaidoh Kaoru, whose face could silence crying babies, working in a life-size version of Barbie's Dreamhouse! Oh the pinkness of it all - it was simply priceless!

Eiji chortled. Oh, wait till he told Syuichiroh about this! No, not just Syuichiroh. Something like this needed to be shared with _everyone_. Good thing they were all coming over tonight.

Remembering his purpose, he strode up to the white fence separating the lot from the street. It was easy enough to reach over the gate and undo the lock from the inside - its only purpose was to keep the children in the yard from getting out, not to keep people from getting in.

Eiji was swarmed by big-eyed chibis who barely came up to his knees. Their pudgy hands reached out to grab and cling.

"Ne? Ne? Who are you, niichan?" they asked curiously.

"Me?" Eiji pointed to himself. "I'm no one."

"That means you're a stranger," one kid said matter-of-factly. "Kaidoh-niichan says we shouldn't talk to strangers."

"Ohhhh." All the others drew back, eyes widening to the size of saucers. Then one of them poked him in the leg.

"How did you get that owie?" He pointed up. "Is it all gross under there?"

Crouching so that he was at eye-level, Eiji leaned forward conspiratorially. "You want to see?" he asked, eyes sparkling with mischief as he took a corner of the bandaid.

The boys nodded eagerly while the girls squealed and hid behind their hands, fingers spread so they could peek through.

"Okay, you asked for it," Eiji warned. With one quick motion he ripped off the strip and the children screamed in sheer terror.

Kaidoh looked up from Kisa's drawing, hissing. "You over there! What are you doing?" he asked gruffly. He stalked over to the site of the disturbance, an angry scowl on his face. It didn't scare the kids, who immediately abandoned Eiji in favor of the bandana-wearing man.

"Hiyee!" Eiji jumped back up, waving. His bandaid was back in place. "Long time no see, Kaiiii-doh-nii-CHAN!"

"Senpai!"

"Who'd have thought... nyahahaha... that... hahaha... you'd be running... kekeke... a daycare center!"

Faint lines of red colored Kaidoh's cheek as he was laughed at by a relentless Eiji. They grew brighter when one of the girls tugged at his shorts, ribbons in hand. "Kai-nii, let me braid your hair."

"Not now," he muttered, slouching down lower and hissing with chagrin.

The girl looked at him with wobbly eyes, and just as it seemed that Kaidoh would cave in, one of the other kids piped up with, "Are you Kaidoh-niichan's friend?"

"Un!" Eiji acknowledged, slinging an arm around Kaidoh's shoulder companionably. "I knew him since he was yea tall." He indicated the height of a person four feet tall with his free hand.

"Wow!"

"Hey, remember when Inui-niichan came over?"

"Yeah, he was cool!"

"Inui?" Eiji echoed, suppressing mad snickers. "Cool?"

"He told me the way I ran around without looking, I have a 82 percent chance of breaking a bone this year!" one boy yelled out excitedly, then thrust out his cast-covered leg. It was covered with signatures and doodles but the surface was relatively white, suggesting that it was put on recently. "He was right!"

"He told _me_ that I had a 76 percent chance of having A-AD- um..ADHD!"

"Well, oh yeah, he told me that _I_ had a 91 percent chance of..."

The kids started to compete with a recounting of their predictions while Eiji and Kaidoh moved away to a quieter spot.

"Who knew you were so good with the chibis!" Eiji grinned cheekily as they reached the child-sized playground equipment set off to the side. He squeezed his tush into the tiny seat of the swing, keeping his feet on the ground to take off some of his weight. These things were smaller than he remembered.

"What are you doing here, senpai?"

In response, Eiji reached into his pocket and drew out a crinkled invite.

Kaidoh took it gingerly, as if it would bite, and smoothed it out. Then, he flipped it open and read out loud, "You are cordially invited to the wedding of Mizuki Hajime and Fuji Yuuta." Poor Kaidoh turned redder than he had previously been, but he continued to scan down. There was a hand-written message beneath the necessary information which read, 'Bachelor party at 9:00 PM, Friday. Come prepared to knock some booty.'

"So you'll come nya?" Although phrased as a question, there was no doubt that Eiji would only accept one answer. He loved big get-togethers and this was the _perfect_excuse to throw a party. He made a sad face.

"Unless you've already got plans. I'm sure _everyone_ will understand if you can't make it, once I explain to them that you've taken up playing with cute widdle preschoolers," Eiji said with exaggerated sympathy. "It's just too bad, but Kaidoh had a hair appointment he couldn't miss nya."

Kaidoh sighed in resignation. This was _so_ blackmail.

xxxxx

"Welcome. Go right on in." Oishi tentatively identified the man as Yamabuki's Moromachi Tohji, although it was hard to tell. He had never seen him without the silver-rimmed blue-tinted shades before.

He had no sooner closed the door when there was another knock. The entirety of Fudomine's old team stood on the doorsteps, Tachibana Kippei at the lead. He nodded as he entered, trailed by Kamio, Sakurai, Ishida, Uchimura, and Mori, with Shinji shuffling in at the end.

The furniture in the living room at been shoved against the walls to accommodate the crowd and the earlier arrivals were standing around chatting. They all had tennis in common, and many of them already knew each other from tournaments, both in junior high and high school, or from the street tennis courts.

"Yo Mamushi!" Kamio called out, the most willing to fraternize with outside people as usual. "It's been a while. What're you up to these days?"

Kaidoh hissed something unintelligible, then downed his beer at a rapid rate. Next to him, Ryoma looked slightly bored as he picked at the pretzel bowl while Kachiro talked.

"Pro tennis is so exciting, Ryoma-kun!" he was enthusing, shiny black locks bobbing with emphasis. "There are so many great players rising up now."

Ryoma made a non-committal sound.

"I don't think it's too late for you to enter the scene," Kachiro plunged on, not in the least deterred.

"Eh-?" A unibrowed Horio in a horribly loud, checkered green-and-yellow suit sidled up to them. "The way you talk, you'd think you're an actual player, not just a ball boy," he declared, loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Kachiro flushed but knew the other boy didn't _mean_ to be as tactless as he often was. He blurted things out without considering the results. "It's true that I don't have any talent," Kachiro admitted. "But I love the game and I'll support it in any way I can."

He whirled back around to Ryoma, fists doubled up and eyes hopeful. "That's why I think you should definitely go pro! You have the natural talent and the discipline! You can lead Japan to the top!"

"Yada."

Kachiro deflated.

"There's just no reasoning with the guy," Horio proclaimed, arms spread in a what-can-you-do gesture. "Who else would give up hitting balls to arrange flowers?"

"Akutsu-senpai, Sengoku-senpai, and Taichi," Ryoma countered flatly. "Oh, and that guy." He jerked his thumb over at Shinji, who gave up looking dazedly at a discolored spot on the ceiling to glance over. "Although his store's still mada mada da ne."

"So what are you doing now anyway?" Katsuo asked Horio, veering off a fight.

Horio puffed up. "I'm a sales representative for preowned vehicular transports," he bragged. "Why with my two years of experience, I've already-"

"So basically, you're a used car dealer," Ryoma interrupted. "That explains the suit."

"Eh? What's wrong with the way I'm dressed?" Horio plucked at his clothing with genuine confusion as the others stifled snickers behind their hands.

"Hey, Echizen!" Ryoma was saved from present company by a guy with spiked orange hair and magenta eyes, waving him over.

The other half of the Gyokurin pair stood next to him, the sleeves of his shirt pushed all the way up to his shoulder and dark blue hair loosened from its usual ponytail. "Where's Momo?" Fukawa asked curiously.

"That's what I'm wondering." Sengoku draped himself over Ryoma's shoulder. "Ecchi-kun, where's your dear Omoshiro-senpai?"

"How should I know?" Ryoma muttered irritably, batting his co-worker away. "And stop calling me that."

Sengoku paid no attention as he spotted a couple of old teammates at another part of the room. "Hey, Jimmies!" he saluted.

"Don't call us that!" Minami and Higashikata said as one, echoing Ryoma's earlier sentiment.

Meanwhile, Inui Sadaharu, dressed in an unremarkable gray suit, was methodically working his way around the room. He jotted down the information he collected on his nifty palm pilot, muttering "good data" every once in a while.

"So, Arai." His eyes weren't visible behind the apparently one-way glasses but Arai had the distinct feeling he was being checked up and down. "You're looking pretty good."

It was an innocent enough statement, because it was undeniably true. Chocolately brown hair was cut in a short, smart style and the classy black suit was tailored to show off Arai's athletic form. His loafers were highly polished, and his entire appearance was impeccably flawless. Inui noted that Arai looked quite at ease in his attire, as if it was something he wore on a daily basis.

"Ah- well." Arai scratched his head embarrassedly. Innocent or not, he couldn't help recalling that his upperclassman had once had a 'date' with Kaidoh, and Inui's low, sensual way of speaking only added to the ambiguity of his compliment.

"Thank you," he settled for saying.

"I saw you driving up in the Ferrari," Inui continued, electronic pen held poised above the tablet. "What do you do for a living?"

"Um..."

"He's a chauffeur," Ikeda supplied helpfully. The cute smattering of freckles hadn't faded a bit, giving him a impish look. "He's working tonight, too."

Arai nudged his friend to shut up but then decided there was no use hiding it. "I'm Wakato Hiroshi's personal driver."

"Wakato Hiroshi." Inui looked up the profile to jog his memory. "Ah, the Pretender. He's in that popular TV drama right now, isn't he?"

"You're so lucky, man," Hayashi informed Arai. "You get to be around all those hot actresses."

"Yeah, and they really notice the guy opening up the door for THE Wakato Hiroshi," Arai shot back sarcastically, after making sure his boss wasn't within earshot. Wakato was busy holding court to all the gay men in the room, posing in a contrived manner while his old teammates shot him exasperated looks. "And I thought that Hyotei had a diva for a captain."

"What about Hyotei?"

The last time they had seen Shishido Ryo, he had been sporting a close-cropped 'do and multiple injuries. He had grown out his pride and joy again, and silky dark locks fell over his eyes seductively and spilled down his back. The top few of his buttons were undone, and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to reveal smooth and perfect skin that would make any woman jealous. He looked every bit the part of the fashion photographer that he was.

"Shishido-san." Ohtori Choutaroh gave Shishido a boyishly innocent look. "I found the others."

Inui followed with interest, not having updated his information on the former Hyotei boys yet. Akutagawa Jiroh was predictably snoozing and didn't even stir as Mukahi Gakuto kicked the sofa he was on, hoping to jar him awake.

"It's impossible," remarked Oshitari as he pushed up his glasses with a gloved hand. His dark blue hair had streaks of lighter blue, purple, and pink running through it. "We'll have to wait for Kabaji."

"Oshitariii!" Eiji glomped onto the tall boy as if he was a long-lost brother, and some of the feathers that lined Oshitari's full-length trenchcoat fluttered off. "My sister's a huge fan of your group! She listens to your CDs all the time! Can you sign this for her, huh huh? If you don't, she'll kill me," Eiji wailed.

"It's no problem." The J-rocker turned Gakuto around to use his back as a writing board.

"Write something personal! Like, 'To my number one fan, with all my love. I want you to be the mother of my child,'" Eiji recited. "Thanks nya!"

Gakuto smirked. "Speaking of which... I heard you had a child, Kikumaru. Where _is_ the precious little tyke?"

"Kenji? He's staying with Syuichiroh's parents tonight." Eiji was instantly on guard. Gakuto never had anything nice to say to him.

"Oh. Well... I see fatherhood has really changed you." Gakuto put a hand on his hip. "You look so... robust."

Eiji brightened. "Thanks! You look pretty good yourself nya!"

"Judging by his body language and delivery, there's a 87 percent probability that he meant that as an insult," Inui burst his bubble and Gakuto's smirk deepened.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"He just implied that you've gained weight."

"No he didn't! And no I didn't!" Eiji denied, stamping his foot. "I-NU-I! It's not true, is it?"

The data man studied him critically. "Waist, up 1/3 inch, hips, 1/2 inch, arms look a little thicker," he gave his best estimate as he circled his hand around the upper arm. "You haven't been following my dietary suggestions, have you?"

Eiji jerked away in mortification, then pinched to check for any signs of flab himself.

Oshitari's penmanship suffered as Gakuto shook with laughter, head tilted back as he cackled out "Hahahahah" in manaical glee.

"I'm still the same sizes as I was five years ago," Gakuto preened once he had recovered, displaying his lithe form. He then stepped away and did a forward flip mid-air. "Just as flexible, too."

Oshitari appraised him lustfully as he handed Eiji back the pen and album cover.

"While you've been busy packing on the pounds and growing creaky with age, I've been keeping my shape as an aerobics instructor. You should _really_ consider attending a few sessions."

"Hi-hi-hidoi!" Eiji fled for the kitchen, knocking down the midget from Shounan.

"What's _his_ problem?" Ohta grumbled, as the hulking giant Kirayama helped him up.

"Mukahi Gakuto, aerobics instructor." Inui recorded the fact. "Eiji, worried about his weight? Good data."

"What do you do, Inui-san?" Choutaroh wondered why the other man wasn't running after his friend to console him. That's what he would do if it had been Shishido that had fled.

"Something to do with numbers, would be my guess," a voice came at his elbow and Choutaroh jumped. Fuji had a way of appearing without warning.

"I'm an actuary." Seeing the blank faces, Inui elaborated, "I work with insurance companies, figuring out rates to charge based on various factors. I also do some freelance consulting work. For example, I was meeting with the representatives of a major car company. It turns out there was a problem with the airbag, where it would cause bone-crushing chest injury in 35 percent of the cases it was deployed."

The others, sans Fuji, cringed. "How horrible."

"Yes, well, they wanted me to figure out the cost of recalling and correcting the error in all cars that were already sold, as well as for adjusting the ones in production." Inui tapped a few keys on his palm pilot, and data charts and numbers scrolled across the screen. "But based on the calculations of probable accidents involving airbag deployment and the amount of settlement per suit, it's more economically efficient to pay out liability as it comes up."

The others looked pale. "So... so they're keeping the bone-crushing thing?"

"Well, they're free to use the information any way they wish," Inui remarked diffidently. "But I would be careful if I drove a certain popular two-door model." He directed a meaningful gaze at Taki Haginosuke, who started to whimper.

"Momoshiro!" The group turned to see the tall, spiky haired man stride into the room, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Sorry I'm late!" he waved. "I was pulled over for speeding and had to run 20 laps around the block." He moved in further, revealing a frowning Tezuka Kunimitsu behind him.

At the sight of the former Seigaku captain, lips turned down stiffly and arms folded across his uniformed chest, people stopped talking and started to shift guiltily, trying to remember if they had done anything illegal. The nameplate on his breast pocket glinted with the weight of authority of the youngest police captain in precinct history.

"Didn't he know this was a party?" Uchimura whispered, pulling the brim of his cap lower to hide his face.

"Tezuka." Tachibana offering his hand in greeting and Tezuka clasped it.

"Tachibana. It's been a while."

That seemed to break the ice and everyone returned to what they had previously been doing.

Ever popular with the guys, Momoshiro was instantly surrounded and treated to multiple high-fives and poundings on the back.

"Stop by the courts when you have time," Izumi challenged. "Me and Fukawa still owe you for the last time."

"Yo Omoshiro-kun! You're still unlucky as usual, ne?" Sengoku winked. "I've _never_ gotten pulled over."

"Momoshiro. It's good to see you."

"Momo-chan-senpai!"

With so many people clamoring for Momoshiro's attention, it was hard for Oishi to get himself heard. "Uh, guys!" he shouted anyway. "The... uh..." He trailed off, completely unheard.

"Allow me." Atobe Keigo lifted a hand regally and Kabaji put his fingers to his lips. A loud, shrill whistle pierced the room.

When he was sure every eye was on him, the former Hyotei captain shed off his long coat to reveal thigh-high bitch boots and a tight leather outfit adorned with buckles and chains.

"Gentlemen," he greeted, handing the coat to Kabaji. "Your stripper has arrived. Let the party begin."

xxxxx

**to be continued**

xxxxx

August 27, 2003

xxxxx

Author's Note: No St. Rudolph in this part. T.T I had to cut it off because it was getting way too long... there are so many characters, and I wanted to mention each at least once.

Rewatching the anime, I realized that Nanjiroh's girly mags are more Sears catalogue than Victoria's Secret, much less Playboy. So I might go back and tone down Echizen's perviness in the previous chapter. We'll see. I purposely avoided tennis as a career choice, because that would be too obvious. Instead, I tried to find something else I could_so_ see each character as, either seriously or as a gag.

Much thanks to those that reviewed! -huggles- Feedback is _always_ appreciated.


	3. Melee

**MIZUKI AND YUUTA'S WEDDING**

**Melee**

"The rules are simple. I can do whatever I want with you, but you have to keep your grabby little hands to yourself. Nothing less than a 5000-yen note. I'm not cheap," Atobe laid out, the very image of professionalism. "You break my rules, he breaks your bones. Isn't that right, Kabaji?"

"Usu," his bodyguard confirmed.

This didn't deter the guests from cheering and hooting, breaking out the big bills and yelling, "Take it off, buchou!" Atobe's ability to work the crowd transferred from the courts to his new career nicely.

Shishido frowned as Choutaroh joined in by whistling. He knew it meant nothing - the younger man was being a good sport and even if he _did_ find stripper!Atobe attractive (like anyone with eyes would), it didn't necessarily translate into interest. Still, Shishido couldn't help feeling a teeny tiny bit... annoyed. Yes, annoyed. It wasn't like he was jealous or anything, he tried to convince himself.

"Atobe-san's the same as always, isn't he?"

"Yeah. What a cocky bastard," Shishido scoffed.

Choutaroh blinked in surprise, wondering if he had missed something. A fight between his two upperclassmen perhaps. He shrugged it off as none of his business and tactfully switched subjects. "I wonder when Mizuki-san and Fuji-san are coming."

He wasn't the only one wondering where the two were. At the other side of the room, Akazawa checked his watch impatiently. "It's been an hour already. What's keeping them?"

"You know how Mizuki-san is," Kaneda spoke up nervously. When the captain got cranky, he usually took it out on the youngest and meekest of the group... namely, Kaneda. And while Kaneda wasn't into pain so that he wanted to hasten the verbal abuse, he knew from experience that Akazawa would get even more mean if someone didn't say anything to calm him down, pronto. "He's being fashionably late, as usual," Kaneda hazarded a guess, and knew he had hit on the perfect explanation.

It certainly wouldn't be the first time they had to wait around for Mizuki's convenience - nor would it be their last. Even in his days as a manager, Mizuki would saunter in late to meetings (when he had bothered showing up at all) and launch into a description of new training menus without so much as an apology or excuse for his tardiness. And everyone had accepted it as Mizuki being Mizuki, while they gave Yanagisawa hell when he tried pulling the same stunt. Leniency was a luxury reserved only for the pretty.

Even now, Akazawa stopped scowling as he mulled over Kaneda's theory. "That sounds like him," he admitted, bad mood melting away. He pictured Mizuki in a silk rose-print robe, fine brows knit beneath the curly locks as he picked out then discarded outfit after outfit, completely oblivious to the passing time. _So adorable!_

Kaneda let out a long-suffering sigh. His captain was so transparent when it came to Mizuki, although it was just as obvious that Mizuki didn't feel the same and simply liked toying with the smitten man's emotions. But then, Kaneda grudgingly admitted to himself, they did share a strange co-dependent friendship that went beyond Akazawa's uke-worship and Mizuki's self-absorption.

Speaking of self-absorbed... Atobe had _finally_ gotten enough fuel for his ego, so he snapped his fingers. Instant silence. "So where's the lucky couple?"

"Uh..." People looked around, finally catching on to the fact that the guests of honor were missing.

"Isn't that them?" Shinjo indicated Oshitari and Gakuto. The pair was, as always, standing much closer than people of non-intimate relationship normally would, bodies turned toward each other even though their focus was now on the Johsei Shounan player. Gakuto's flaming haircut and clothes and Oshitari's liberally applied kohl eyeliner also advertised their general gayness.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Kouhei added his assent and everyone turned to Youhei to see what he had to say.

The maroon-haired twin stopped mid-chew, cheeks ballooned up like a chipmunk. _Oh great_, he thought. _Stupid brother had to talk when I'm unprepared._ "Mmrgh." He made little 'I'll pass' hand gestures, but they continued staring at him, waiting.

His discomfort quickly mutated into indignation. Why was it that he and Kouhei _had_ to say things in unison or as a tag team, anyway? It wasn't fair that the two were one inseparable entity in people's minds, simply because they came from the same egg and referred to themselves as a unit. Yes, he had to make a stand here and now or else he'd always be known as the first half of Youhei-and-Kouhei.

He fidgeted under the expectant gazes, swallowed quickly, and mumbled, "We saw Kikumaru-san running up to them earlier." He sulked, berating himself for being so weak-willed.

"Well that explains why everyone was congratulating me," Oshitari reflected, not at all displeased. "I thought it was about my new album."

"They thought we were the ones getting married?" Gakuto tilted his chin to look up at the taller man, as if he was re-evaluating their relationship in light of the news. He dissolved into hysterical laughter. "How funny, Yuushi! They thought we were a couple! A _couple_! Isn't that wild?"

Oshitari facefaulted as Gakuto elbowed him, laughing as if he had heard the funniest joke ever. "Yes, I wonder how they got that idea," he drawled moodily. He gave Shinjo a hard look, not liking the way the other blue-haired man was eyeing his cuter half, and laid a possessive hand on an oblivious Gakuto's shoulder. His whole stance screamed 'Mine. Back away.'

Of course, he was just being paranoid. Shinjo, being a tennis-playing robot, had no interest in anyone of either sex, unless you counted his abnormal devotion to his coach and master.

"So if that's not them, where are they?" Kouhei brought the conversation back on track, and his brother gave him a death glare as he submitted his own witty, "Yeah."

Oishi slapped himself on the forehead as he realized what had most likely happened. "Don't tell me Eiji forgot to tell them!"

Crickets chirped.

"Saa..." Fuji smiled. "I'll give them a call," he volunteered, at the same time Akazawa did. Perfectly in sync, the two whipped out their mobile and punched in their speed dials before anyone else could so much as blink - Fuji calling his brother's phone while Akazawa called Mizuki's.

They were quickly engrossed in their respective conversations, Akazawa showing considerably more success. Progress was slow as the younger Fuji strongly resisted the idea of a bachelor party in his honor.

But before the guests could get too bored waiting around, Eiji ran back into the room, a tennis racket in each hand. He brandished the gray one with the 'K' inscribed in Gakuto's direction and declared, "Mukahi, I challenge you to a duel."

"Uh... honey... this isn't the appropriate-"

"Isn't this perfect," Gakuto cut Oishi off, quickly adopting a menacing expression. "I accept your challenge, Kikumaru. Your half-hearted acrobatics is no match for my step aerobics!"

"Uh... Eiji," Oishi tried again, tugging at his lover's arm. The last thing he wanted was an all-out rivalry, with the guests divided along hostile school lines. Already, Hyotei was rooting for Gakuto while the rest of Seigaku allied themselves with Eiji.

"Don't worry nya," Eiji whispered to him, totally misinterpreting his concern. "I can take him. Then he'll _have_ to shut up."

Oishi groaned. It sounded more like they were going to engage in a fist-fight rather than a civilized tennis match. And the way they were now goading each other, he wouldn't be surprised if they actually _did_ pull out the punches, with half the guests jumping in. Oh the injuries and damages that were sure to result.

"Naa... the nearest tennis court is thirty minutes away," Kawamura interrupted them timidly. "You can't make it back before Mizuki and Yuuta arrives."

"We can if we follow Tezuka-senpai's squad car!" Momoshiro called out half-jokingly.

"Momoshiro. Do you want to run another 20 laps?"

"No, sir," Momoshiro replied meekly, then whispered loudly to Ryoma, "Geez! He's such a stickler for the rules. I bet he'd ticket his own mother for jaywalking." He feigned innocence as Tezuka bore holes into the back of his head.

Fuji smiled serenely as he pocketed his phone. "Why don't you settle your grudge some other way?" he suggested sensibly. He had finally managed to cajole his brother in coming, and didn't want to miss either Yuuta's arrival or Eiji's match.

"Other way? How, Fuji? Tell us, tell us." Eiji begged, curious. His friend always had some pretty weird ideas, but they sometimes turned out to be fun.

"Hm." Fuji considered the materials at hand. "Oishi, do you have a roll of ace bandage, and some duct tape?"

"I think so, yeah."

They watched uncomprehendingly as Fuji took the rackets from Eiji and wound the retrieved bandage around the handles to hold them together. He then secured it with duct tape to make it sturdier and looked satisfied with his handiwork, which resembled a long pole.

"The game is limbo."

"LIMBO?"

"Yes. Whoever can go the lowest, wins," Fuji said simply.

Kaidoh was about to point out that limbo had nothing to do with tennis, but then realized it made perfect sense. Gakuto and Eiji were renowned for their balance and flexibility, the two skills required for Fuji's game of choice, and it had the added bonus of being something that could be played without leaving the house.

Gakuto and Eiji exchanged wary glances. "I'm fine with it," the former spoke first, shedding his jacket and tie.

"Well, I'm doubly fine with it." Eiji made a face, sticking out his tongue and pulling down on his eye.

Oishi pulled his lover aside. "Eiji, are you sure it's okay?" he asked worriedly. "You haven't done any acrobatics since we had Kenji... if you suddenly strain yourself, you might pull a muscle."

"Daijoubu, daijoubu," Eiji said dismissively. Apparently, a realistic assessment of his current body condition couldn't put a damper on his competitive spirit. "I can't lose to this guy. Besides," he winked, rotating his shoulder to loosen up, "you can't say some of our more creative sex didn't involve me in stretching in unbelievable ways."

Oishi quieted and blushed.

"Hm..." Sengoku rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "An impromptu contest between Seigaku's Kikumaru and Hyotei's Mukahi... this should be good." He smiled, then slapped Minami on the back. "Yosh! It's decided! Minami-kun will play for Yamabuki!"

"Wh-what?"

"And the game will be _strip_ limbo. If you touch the pole, you lose one piece of clothing. If you fall, two. The game goes on until everyone but the prince of bendyness is naked," Atobe revised the guidelines off-handedly and there were appreciative murmurs at the thought.

"Good thinking, buchou," Oshitari purred. He hoped the Seigaku red-head would be good enough to get Gakuto shirtless, although he doubted it'd get farther than that. He had great faith in Gakuto's abilities.

"Isn't it? I hope Johsei sends out that yummy captain of theirs." Atobe eyed his own target. "I wouldn't mind giving _him_ a private showing later on."

Unfortunately, the little guy sprang forward, causing Yanagisawa to accuse them of cheating. "That's unfair da ne. He can walk under what most people would have trouble with da ne!"

The two teams squabbled over what was and was not allowed as Minami, protesting mutiny, was forcibly dragged out by his teammates. Sengoku cupped his hands to his mouth. "Yo! Fudosan! Send out your representative!"

"It's Fudo_mine_!" Mori yelled back, then returned to the huddle.

"What do you think? It's our team's pride on the line." Tachibana regarded the matter with utmost seriousness. While it was totally beneath him to participate in such an undignified game for ridiculous stakes - it'd be as out-of-character as Tezuka volunteering to play - he was sure there was someone else willing to do the dirty work for the good of the team. And sure enough...

"Please leave this to me, Tachibana-niisan," good ol' dependable Kamio entreated. "I think I can win."

Breathing quiet sighs of relief, the others gave their unanimous approval and pumped their fists in the air, breaking with a hearty "Go Fudomine!"

And so the battle between the schools was underway.

xxxxx

It had been back when Yuuta was sixteen, still naive and uncorrupted despite the rather immoral company he kept. The guys on the team had somehow persuaded him to accompany them to a gay strip club to celebrate Mizuki's eighteenth birthday, so armed with a fake ID and a whole lot of trepidation, Yuuta was introduced to a dimly lit room where well-built, oiled-up men danced around poles and rubbed up against customers for money.

It was okay at first. While he was slightly uncomfortable, simultaneously feeling the need to gawk at everything and avert his eyes so as not to draw attention to himself, it wasn't nearly as bad as he had feared it'd be.

Mizuki, for his part, seemed to be enjoying himself. Each friend flagged over a different stripper with a wad of bills, and paid for the newly legal Mizuki to be pleasured in various ways. His face was flushed with booze and happiness as he basked in the attention, totally feeling the love.

Then, it was Yuuta's turn to gift his senpai. He picked the closest stripper, feeling a bit foolish as he signaled the worker over. By some weird coincidence, the man bore an uncanny resemblance to his brother, with the same pleasantly smiling face and straight brown hair that shagged a bit longer than usual for guys. This flustered Yuuta enough so that he dropped the bill, and as he bent to pick it up, his eye was right on level with the guy's bulging crotch.

Still bent over, Yuuta quickly stuffed the money down the guy's underwear, only he was too hasty in his action. His fingers got caught in the tight elastic and he panicked as he felt more than paper in there.

He let out an unmanly scream and fell backward onto his ass, jerking his hand back reflexively. The thin straps of the leopard-print thong snapped with it, and money and the stripper's generous-sized goods flew in his face.

"My virgin eyes!" Yuuta clapped his hands over said virgin eyes, permanently scarred by the experience.

"Fucking ass burn!" The stripper yelped as he rubbed at his chafed, stinging buttcrack, even as the group roared in drunken amusement and shoved Yuuta back into the poor man's naked lap.

Mizuki & Co. were promptly thrown out of the establishment by the ticked-off bouncers, never welcome there again. The boys didn't care though; they were too busy laughing at Yuuta's expense, those insensitive clods. It was years before they stopped bringing it up, and Yuuta vowed never to put himself in that kind of situation again.

_So why wasn't his brother letting him off?_

"Really, aniki, I'm about to die." Yuuta coughed belatedly, for effect. "It's really contagious, too."

"You're so cute when you try to lie," Fuji responded cheerfully, "because you're so bad at it."

Yuuta growled in frustration. His brother had already brushed aside the more credible too tired, dislike crowds, have a stomachache, and have last minute wedding prep excuses. "It's against my religion," he tried, a touch of desperation creeping into his tone.

"Isn't your entire relationship with someone of the same sex against your religion?"

Breaking out into cold sweat, Yuuta glanced around the bedroom for some sort of escape. Mizuki was prattling on happily to Akazawa on his purple cell - no help there. Yuuta moved to the bed and started banging the headboard against the wall, holding his phone up so that the sound would be picked up on the other end.

"Oh would you listen to that," he got back on the line. "I'm too busy screwing Hajime at the moment... sorry, aniki. This is going to take all night."

It was a last-ditch effort to stun his brother into hanging up. Of course, there was a real possibility that it'd backfire, and Fuji would quip back with some totally inappropriate, embarrassing comment.

There was a muffled question as Fuji consulted someone in the room. "It'd be rather difficult to 'screw Hajime' over there when he's coming here. I can come by if you want some help with that though," Fuji offered.

Yuuta buried his head into his pillow, scream choked off as he attempted self-suffocation.

"So, when do you think you'll be over?"

xxxxx

Yuuta stopped halfway up the driveway, doubling over and tucking his head between his knees. "I can't do this," he hyperventilated. "Hajime, go call an ambulance for me."

Mizuki rolled his eyes. And people called _him_ melodramatic. "Yuuta-kun, everyone's already forgotten that strip club incident by now."

"_You_ didn't," Yuuta peered up with accusing gray eyes. "You mentioned it, just now! How did you know what I was spazzing about if you weren't thinking of it, too?"

"Okay, maybe it's a little too amusing to forget," Mizuki conceded with a chuckle. He smiled patronizingly and petted Yuuta gently. "It was just so precious, you getting all traumatized over the man's genitals."

Yuuta looked at him crossly. "If this is supposed to make me feel better, it's not."

"My point is... no one even knows about it, except for buchou, Yanagisawa-kun, and Kisarazu-kun."

"That's three people too many."

"But you were really cute!" Mizuki insisted, as if that made it all better. He tapped Yuuta lightly on the nose. "It was then that I saw how much you needed to be taught, in areas outside of tennis."

Yuuta pouted. "Is that all I am? A charity case?"

"Of course not. You're..." Mizuki searched for an appropriate metaphor. "...a jigsaw in the puzzle that makes up me. I'm incomplete without you."

It was the type of quasi-complimentary, mostly self-centered sort of thing that might be deprecating if one over-analyzed it in depth. But Yuuta found it incredibly sweet, and temporarily forgot about his stripper-phobia as they kissed.

They were in the middle of tonsil-hockey on the lawn when Taichi spotted them. He hoisted himself up on the railings of the veranda for a better look, squinting into the dark to make out the figures. "Akutsu-senpai! Look desu!" He pointed. "Isn't that Mizuki-san and Fuji Yuuta-san?"

His companion flicked his eyes over, before tossing his cigarette and grinding it out with the toe of his boot.

"Should I call to them, should I? Akutsu-senpai! What are you doing?" Taichi ran around as the other man picked up the garden hose, turned on the faucet full blast, and thoroughly drenched the unsuspecting two.

The commotion they made drew all the guests in the house to the windows.

"It's Mizuki and Yuuta da ne!"

"Mizuki!"

"Yuuta!"

"Well, it's about time!"

Akutsu swept a hand across his chest and did a mock bow. "Welcome, revered guests."

Yuuta sighed as he squeezed water out of his sodden shirt. Guess there was no escaping his fate.

"Just put some money down the stripper's pants right away," Mizuki advised, as they squished their way up to the house. "Then you'll get over your... gun-shyness... and see that there's nothing to be afraid of."

"Right," Yuuta muttered. "Good plan."

Oishi met them at the door with large, fluffy towels and ushered them into the bathroom before they could drip all over the place. The T-shirts and jeans he lent them weren't what Mizuki would have chosen to wear, but at least they were dry.

Now changed, they walked into the main room. Yuuta was a little surprised at the number that had shown up and a tad curious at why Atsushi-senpai, Kikumaru-san, Kamio, the guy from Yamabuki whose name he couldn't remember, and the little red-head from Hyotei were all cramped onto the small sofa, naked. The first four held cushions over their laps but the latter only had a clear bowl, the contents of which were rapidly disappearing.

"Yuushi! Go eat the chips from over there," Gakuto scolded, re-distributing the chips so that it completely covered the bottom.

"But these taste better," Oshitari replied straight-faced, and reached in to continue his treasure hunt.

"Rhythm failed," Kamio said glumly, leaning forward with his chin propped in his hands.

"Mou, I can't believe we lost," Eiji moaned, flinging himself back and pedaling his legs in frustration. "Who knew anyone could bend that far back! It's unnatural!"

"Johsei Shounan's Kajimoto Takahisa... a formidable opponent," Inui murmured, pushing up his glasses. "I need more data on him."

Yuuta's eyes roamed the rest of the room and fell on the uniformed man in the corner. Taking a deep breath, he marched purposefully over, grabbed a slightly damp 1000-yen note from his back pocket, and stuffed it down Tezuka's pants without incident. Success!

He was busy congratulating himself on not screwing up when he became aware of the deathly silence.

"Yuuta," Fuji spoke first.

"What is it?"

"That badge - it's real."

"Huh?" Yuuta looked in confusion from his brother's light-hearted smile to Tezuka's cold glare.

"Ore-sama da." Atobe drew attention to himself. He wasn't role-playing as a cop or fireman, but his profession was amply clear from his attire. "_I_'m the stripper."

Complete shock.

"If you're- and that's- that means- I thought that-" Yuuta babbled incoherently.

"FUJI." Tezuka did an admirable job of controlling himself, although the tips of his ears were bright pink. "Fifty laps around the block. _Now_," he barked.

"Yes, sir!" Yuuta broke into a flat-out run while Mizuki clucked with sympathy.

"Well, let's get started already! Kabaji, the music."

And Atobe proceeded to get down and dirty with the remaining to-be-wed, while poor Yuuta, being too honest for his own good, ran all fifty laps in the dark. But since it meant he missed a great majority of the dreaded bachelor party, he didn't mind.

Everyone was clothed again by the time Yuuta returned, and the people nearest and dearest to Mizuki's heart were reminiscing about his numerous sexual exploits in his younger, wilder days. Mizuki reclined back on the sofa with a glass of wine while the others surrounded him in a semi-circle, the group often stopping their storytelling to break into raucous laughter. Judging from the rosiness of his cheeks, Yuuta guessed Mizuki had consumed quite a bit of alcohol already.

"And don't forget that time with Kyou after lights out," Atsushi chimed in as Yanagisawa paused for breath, adding another name to the long list of schoolmates that had come before. "I thought for sure the priests would catch you guys."

"Ah yes," Mizuki sat up slightly, eyes misting over at the memory. "Although that doesn't match up to confessional booth sex with Hatori. How I miss those single days," he sighed regretfully.

"A-HEM."

"But still, there comes a time when every man must settle down with the one he loves," Mizuki navigated smoothly, and kissed Yuuta on the cheek as the younger man slid in next to him. Everyone awwwed.

"Well, it's time for speeches!" Eiji chirped, jumping on top of a chair and clapping his hands. "The best man Akazawa will make a toast for groom number one!"

"I've known Mizuki for years now, and he's been a wonderful friend," Akazawa started with utmost sincerity. "He's everything I could have ever asked for - loyal, caring, smart, hard-working, selfless, generous, modest..."

"Where's he getting this from?" Atsushi whispered.

"Isn't it obvious? He's making it up da ne."

The guests were forced to sit through a 30-minute recitation of Mizuki's good points, real or imagined, while Mizuki listened with rapt attention, tears streaming down his face.

"How true, how true," he sniffed, delicately dabbing at his eyes with a tissue.

"...and oh Mizuki, why don't you marry _me_? I'm _so_ much better than Yuuta in _every_ way," Akazawa wrapped up his speech. "Cheers." He knocked back his glass of champagne before he was led off by Oishi and Kaneda, and Eiji once again took the stage.

"Now, we'll hear from best man number two! Fuji!"

"Keep it short!" someone yelled.

"Hm... what can I say about my cute little brother?"

"Oh God," Yuuta groaned, expecting the worst.

"I think my feelings about him are obvious." Fuji slit his eyes open, blue irises homing in on Mizuki. "I won't forgive anyone who dares hurt him."

Mizuki gulped and scooted a bit closer to Yuuta.

"And now I'd like to hand over the rest of my speech to Akutagawa-san."

Everyone looked over at the sleeping Jiroh, wondering what ace Fuji had up his sleeve and whether it was okay to let him go through with his devious scheme. Atobe shrugged, pausing in the counting of his money. "Go ahead, Kabaji. Wake him," he commanded.

"Usu."

Jiroh was rudely wakened in the usual lift-and-dangle method. "Ah- what? Is it over already?" He tousled his hair and suppressed a yawn.

"Jiroh, we need you to give a speech for them," Atobe waved vaguely over at where Mizuki and Yuuta were sitting. "For some reason."

"Ah!" Jiroh pointed excitedly. "I know him!"

"Uh, Jiroh, I think you mean _him_." Oshitari rotated him three degrees to the right, so that he was now pointing at Yuuta. "You beat him in 15 minutes during the consolation match, remember?"

"No, no! Him!" Jiroh bounded up to Mizuki and examined him up close. "I'm sure of it. We made out after the game!"

_Oh crap._ Mizuki blanched. He had completely forgotten about that.

"What? What are you talking about?" Yuuta asked in bewilderment. "Why would you guys make out?"

"Are you sure you didn't dream it, Jiroh?" Shishido sounded skeptical.

"Well, at first I thought I was, cause he looked like an angel, y'know. He had the sunlight hitting right behind him like a halo and everything. It was _seriously_ cool!" Jiroh enthused, getting into his story. "But then he grabbed me by my shirt and shouted obscenities at me so I thought maybe not. Anyway, one thing led to another and we ended up behind the drinking fountain, kissing."

"That's just ridi-" Yuuta caught the guilty shifting of his lover's eyes. "Hajime?" His tone was incredulous. "Is this true?"

"Well, I was just getting back at him for you, Yuuta," Mizuki laughed fakely. "It wasn't like it meant anything."

"Oh." Jiroh's face fell in disappointment. "Does that mean we can't do it again?"

"Maybe you should go back to sleep," Choutaroh advised. Yuuta seemed just about ready to kill someone, and Jiroh was unwittingly making himself pretty high on the list of potential victims.

"Nah, I gotta get to work." Jiroh yawned again. "I've got the graveyard shift... at the graveyard."

"Don't fall asleep in the holes you dig." Gakuto rolled his eyes. "They might think you're a corpse and bury you."

"I think they learned not to do that after the first time," Jiroh called over his shoulder, unperturbed, and then he was gone.

But the trouble was just beginning.

"I can't believe you kissed him!" Yuuta exploded, jumping up to his feet and balling his hands into fists. "How is that getting back at him? How? No, I'd really like to know."

"I figured, you know... if I couldn't bring them to their knees in tennis, I can do it in other ways... Hey, I was just a stupid kid then," Mizuki defended himself, rising as well. "What do you expect?"

"Even if that made any sort of sense at all, _which it doesn't_, shouldn't you have been getting revenge on Atobe-san? _He_'s the one who beat you!"

Atobe cleared his throat. "Oh, he got me back alright," he interjected. "In the locker room right before the buses left..." He knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't resist leering and blowing a kiss in Mizuki's direction. "But as I recall, I wasn't the one down on my knees."

"Oh. My. God." Yuuta turned in a circle, looking at their 'friends' with cynical new eyes. "Is there anyone in this room you _haven't_ slept with?"

Fuji raised his hand. "Me," he announced happily. "I've never had sex with him." Of course, by making this statement, the implication was that he was the _only_ exception.

Mizuki shot Atobe and Fuji glares that could have melted steel before he turned to placate his agitated lover. "Why does it even matter? It's all in the past... It wasn't like we were together then," he tried to reason.

Yuuta wrenched away from Mizuki's touch, hurt and disgust warring for dominance. "Well maybe you like it that way! Maybe you'd be happier being free to screw everyone you run across!"

He instantly regretted his words. Mizuki stumbled back as if slapped, face draining of all color. His voice was very quiet when he finally spoke. "I'm going home. I'm sure you can find somewhere else to spend the night."

The gallery was frozen with shock, afraid to even breathe as Mizuki stormed off without another word. They looked uncomfortably on as Yuuta clenched and unclenched his fists, caught in a state of indecision. A part of Yuuta wanted to move, to run after Mizuki and apologize but the part of him that was stubborn and proud prevented him from doing so.

I mean, c'mon, Mizuki sucked face with _Jiroh_! The same Jiroh that had schooled him in 15 minutes while half-asleep... Yuuta felt absolutely humiliated. The only worse betrayal would have been to find out that Mizuki had also had a twisted threesome with his brother and Echizen where the three of them had sex on Yuuta's bed and then laughed about how easy it was to beat 'Fuji's little brother' at tennis.

Mizuki had expected Yuuta to brush off all of his past affairs as if they didn't matter. And perhaps they really didn't, but the casual disregard Mizuki showed for sex stung. It was as if anyone would do, and Yuuta was nothing but another notch on the bedpost, the final in a long string of conquests.

There was the angry squeal of tires as a car peeled out of the driveway. "Aniki, I'll be outside when you're ready to go," Yuuta said tonelessly.

As soon as he left, the comments started up, fast and furious. "Man, that was harsh."

"I didn't see _that_ coming."

"Do you think the wedding's off?"

"Hey!" Eiji waved his arms for attention. "Do we have a couples therapist here by any chance?"

"Aren't they mostly female?"

No one owned up to being one, so Sakurai stood up. "I run a dog obedience school," he offered, then ducked the cups and snacks that sailed in his direction.

"I'll go talk to him," Fuji excused himself.

"This is exactly why exclusivity is a terrible idea," Momoshiro doled out his expert opinion. "People should be free to bang whoever they want, instead of being chained to the same person, day-in, day-out."

"No, it's _because_ he slept with everyone that Fuji-senpai's little brother got mad," Ryoma corrected.

"Echizen! Don't think you're wiser than me about sex, just because you've turned out to be a closet pervert. Listen to your senpai. I know these things. Every day at work, I have to listen to these lonely women... bored housewives who say the fire's sizzled out from their marriages, and wish they were still single."

"Eh? I thought you _weren't_ a couples therapist."

"I'm not, you dimwit." Momoshiro whacked Ryoma lightly upside the head. "I'm a radio talk show host. It's just that these are the type of people sitting at home, listening. Oh yeah." He snapped his fingers and turned to Kamio. "You'll never guess who called in the other day... Ann-chan! Remember her?" he went on, oblivious to the mad twitching of the red-head's eyebrows.

"Man, was _she_ a tiger in the sack. Mrowr."

"Teme!" Kamio launched himself at Momoshiro, tackling him to the ground. "How dare you talk about my wife like that!"

"EH? You actually _married_ her?"

Anything else he was about to say was cut off when Kamio started to strangle him.

"Ah... we should stop them." Kawamura wrung his hands as he looked to Akutsu, who immediately slammed him up against the wall.

"Don't tell me what to do," Akutsu threatened.

"Kawamura-senpai, here." Ryoma slipped him a racket, which predictably sent Kawamura into burning mode.

"YOU! AKUTSU!" He swung the racket wildly. "WHAT WOULD YUUKI-CHAN THINK, TO SEE YOU PICKING FIGHTS ALL THE TIME?"

Akutsu drew back his fist and decked him, not because he was particularly irritated by Kawamura's casual address of his mother, nor at being 'ordered around' but because he was itching for a fight. It had been too long since he had heard and felt the satisfying crack of knuckles hitting flesh. Too bad Taichi never let him beat up on their co-workers.

"Ororo..." Kawamura slumped to the floor, spirals for eyes.

Oishi would have ran to help his friend but his knees suddenly gave out and he also fell, twitching. About a dozen others joined him on the floor, gagging and dropping their paper cups to clutch at their throats.

"Ahh! What's going on?"

"Did someone spike the punch?"

Arai backed away, horrified as the liquid changed color and started to bubble up the sides of the bowl in delayed chemical reaction.

"Don't tell me..."

"It's my Special Bachelor Party Tropical Punch Inui Juice. Well?" Glasses glinted as Inui grinned evilly. "How is it?"

"I think I'm going to puke," Kaidoh gasped, face completely blue. He grunted as someone used him as a stepping stone, leaving a shoe imprint on his back.

"You, freshm'n." Hiyoshi Wakashi stumbled his way toward Ryoma, drunk off his ass. "I hav' a score to settle wit' you."

"Do I know you?" Ryoma asked bluntly. There were just too many people he had pissed off as the freshman ace to keep track of.

"You ruined my t'nis career. I was s'posed to be'come cap'n after Atobe-san, take Hyotei to nat'nals. But be'cuz I losht to you, coach wouldn't even lemme be regular."

"Ahh! It's that substitute from the tie-breaker game!" the peanut gallery, aka Horio, Kachiro, and Katsuo, chorused.

The memory clicked. "Oh yeah, the low-class guy."

"Why you-" Hiyoshi lurched at him, intending to unleash a well-deserved can of whupass.

Rikkaidai's Kirihara Akaya saw this and took it upon himself to prevent the imminent altercation. He hadn't been one of those invited - it was chance that he had slept through his subway stop and had been kicked off at the end of the line, and chance that he had caught a few familiar faces heading above ground, talking about a party. Since he had crashed the joint and helped himself to the free food and entertainment, it was just right that he repay his hosts.

He picked up the racket not given to Kawamura, unpocketed a tennis ball from his jacket, and served it at the attacking Hiyoshi with flair, all the while patting himself on the back for being awesome like that.

The ball missed its target when Hiyoshi, motor skills being considerably deteriorated, tangled over his own two feet and tripped. It hit Nitobe instead, propelling the Yamabuki player into the snack-laden table. Everything went flying, and a toxic rain of Inui Juice pelted the shouting crowd. The ball then ricocheted off the chandelier and smacked Choutaroh, who stumbled straight into the aquarium, knocking it over.

Water sloshed all over and Oishi's precious tropical fish flopped helplessly on the ground: Tezuka II, Oishi II, Eiji II, Fuji II, Taka II, Inui II, Momo II, Kaidoh II, and Ryoma II all suffered slow, painful deaths. Taichi, completely blinded by his headband, slipped on the water and skidded all the way to the sofa, where he fell over with a heavy "Oof!"

"Tachibana-san!" The Fudomine members - minus Kamio, who was too busy throttling Momoshiro - dove to protect their captain from the tennis ball whizzing his way, and clonked heads.

"Daichi! Saaaaave me!" Ohta's short form was swallowed up as people ran around the crowded room in panic, crashing into each other, tripping over the writing bodies on the floor, and generally adding to the chaos. It was a complete battle scene, food and juice staining the carpets, furniture, and walls, and guests holding out their arms for help like wounded soldiers.

"Ya... yabe..." Kirihara picked his jaw up from the floor and slowly inched his way to the exit, crab-style, where he beat a hasty retreat.

"Everyone, 30 laps, now!"

The ones who could still move sluggishly headed outside, muttering about how this was the worst party they had ever been to.

"Mataku, this sucks. If I had known it'd be like this, I would have stayed at home. Of course, Tachibana-san told me to come and I listen to everything he says. But no one else. Not even Kamio and he's my best friend. I heard him tell Ann-chan that _she_ was his best friend though. Maybe it's time to find a new best friend. I wonder if Echizen has one already. Can rival florists be best friends, I wonder. Ah- if I can get him to give me those pruning shears, it'll mean we aren't really rivals."

People slowed down drastically so they wouldn't have to listen to Shinji's nonstop mumbles. Then they pulled ahead when they reached the Kikumaru-Oishi home, dashing to avoid the rocks and clumps of dirt Akutsu had taken to throwing at passerbys.

Sengoku, who had escaped all the dangers unscathed, wandered back inside, deciding he didn't have to do the laps. He had a policy of listening only to his coach and as luck would have it, Ban-jii (nor Ban-jii Jr, which he had just now decided was his new nickname for Fuji) wasn't here to boss him around.

"So," Atobe was addressing the others. "Anyone up for a captains' orgy?"

Tezuka, Tachibana, and Kajimoto didn't deign to answer, simply reinforcing their 'we're serious, uptight, anal retentive, alpha male semes who absolutely refuse to be bottom for anyone' attitudes. Akazawa just sat on his haunches, looking miserable as he whimpered Mizuki's name.

"Whatever." Atobe draped his coat over him like a blanket. "Wake me when the roads are clear of pedestrians we might run over, Kabaji."

"Usu."

xxxxx

**to be continued**

xxxxx

September 9, 2003

xxxxx

Author's Note: Long. x.x Although the last two-thirds came all at once last night, the first segment was being immensely uncooperative. Thanks for reviewing, people! Your encouraging responses helped me muddle through this mess when I felt like abandoning it. Glad to see a few of the jobs are making resonances.

This fic is slipping more toward parody by the minute. Poor Mizuki... he can't help being the biggest slut in the TeniPuri universe. I mean, who _doesn't_ want a piece of the guy? XD Let's see if I can wrap things up and get the two lovebirds married in the next part, shall we?


	4. Conclusion

**MIZUKI AND YUUTA'S WEDDING**

**Conclusion**

Fuji studied his brother surreptitiously, secretly wondering if he had gone too far. There was a very fine line between teasing and torture and although Yuuta might think otherwise, his sadism didn't extend to amusement at Yuuta's pain. Discomfort, yes. Embarrassment, definitely. But not the downright unhappiness Yuuta was displaying.

Currently, Yuuta was slouched down as low as possible in the passenger seat of his car while still restrained by the seatbelt, arms folded defiantly over his chest and struggling to keep a stoic expression on his face.

Toying with the keys to the car, Fuji tried to decide what the best course of action was. He would be lying if he said he wasn't glad about the new development. He honestly thought that Mizuki wasn't good enough to lick Yuuta's shoes. Granted, it would be a cold day in Hell before he thought anyone good enough for his baby brother, but Mizuki was unacceptably bad.

Mizuki had always been an arrogant jerk who put himself ahead of everyone, a hedonist who acted as if he was God's gift to semes and hit on anything in pants. Or shorts, as was often the case. He was shameless in his flirtations, even coming onto Fuji the few times they had run into each other despite Fuji's radiating waves of hatred. Given the chance, Fuji was positive that Mizuki would have gladly leapt into bed with him, and with half the tennis team as well if he hadn't already.

The fact that he seemed content with Yuuta now didn't change Fuji's opinion. Fuji knew his type too well; he had seen them often enough in the course of his job. They were the ones who grew bored quickly after the honeymoon phase was over and inevitably cheated on their spouses for a little excitement in their lives. They were the ones who filed for divorces and callously broke their lovers' hearts, and damned if Fuji was going to let that happen to Yuuta.

If only Fuji had known the two were together from the start, he could have nipped the problem in the bud and prevented something like this from even happening. But his stubborn brother had decided to hide it from him until a week ago and now, he was hurt because of his misguided affections.

Fuji hadn't seen Yuuta cry since they were little kids, but Yuuta looked on the verge of angry tears now. The constant blinking, the hard swallows of the throat... the telltale signs were there for Fuji, adept at reading his brother's body language out of sheer necessity, to interpret.

Yuuta probably wouldn't appreciate him bringing out a handkerchief to scrub at his face so the only option was talking it out.

So what to say? The guy's a bucket of slime? It's not your fault? You'll find someone better? I told you so?

"I'm such an idiot."

Fuji made no response, a little startled that his brother had chosen to speak first.

Yuuta let out a strangled noise. "Really, what was I thinking?" he moaned, clapping a hand over his forehead before sliding it upward to smooth back his short hair. "I should know better than to get jealous."

Nodding, he continued talking, more to himself than his brother. "I know he was a bit wild during our school days - after all, I did my fair share of lookout duty to make sure he wasn't caught - but it's different with us. We've been together for so long now and we really do love each other - he's never given me reason to doubt that. If he wanted someone else, he wouldn't still be with me," he reasoned, now drumming his fingers along the dashboard as he arrived at the inevitable conclusion. "It was wrong not to trust him."

Had he been in any less control of himself, Fuji would have bitten out something sarcastic, along the lines that no one but Yuuta could tolerate Mizuki for longer than it took to fuck him. But Fuji Syusuke was anything but crude so he let the impulse slide.

"So you're going to forgive him?" he asked instead, his dubious tone implying that he did not think this was a good idea.

"There's nothing to forgive," Yuuta said firmly. "At least not from this side."

Mizuki was sure to make him grovel a bit, following up with tickle torture with the feather and sticky bondage fun with the chocolate syrup, all designed to frustrate the living daylights out of Yuuta as punishment, but the make-up sex would definitely be worth it.

The last time they had gotten into an argument - something about Yuuta not wanting to wear a pastel pink yukata with floral designs to match Mizuki's lovely lavender one - they had ended up having sex in every single room and closet in the house and setting a new record for how many times they could do it in one day.

If Yuuta didn't know any better, he'd think Mizuki deliberately blew things out of proportion just so he could guilt Yuuta into agreeing to do certain things he normally wouldn't. Not that he regretted it afterwards; he never would have thought those naughty things Mizuki suggested could feel so good.

Blushing at those explicit, censor-worthy memories, Yuuta asked, "Can you take me home, aniki? I have to talk to Hajime."

"I thought he told you not to come home," Fuji reminded, not making a move to start the engine.

"Oh, he always says things he doesn't mean," Yuuta explained. "I think he'd be even more mad if I actually listened to him and didn't try to apologize."

Fuji decided to make a temporary retreat. Trying to dissuade Yuuta would only irritate him and possibly make him even more determined to get back with Mizuki. There was always the slim chance that Mizuki would act like a prick and not take Yuuta back, although Fuji didn't believe that for a second. How could anyone resist his cute little brother with his puppy-dog eyes?

"Let's tell Oishi and Eiji that we're leaving then."

They made their way back to the house, ignoring the guests running around in the streets. Yuuta had to lift a brow, however, when they stepped through the open doorway and found Eiji dragging an unconscious Oishi by the ankles over to the stairway.

"Fuji!" Eiji dropped Oishi's feet and ran over to them, wringing his hands desolately. "It's an emergency nya!"

Peering around the hyper red-head, Yuuta could see a few more collapsed bodies in the disaster of a living room and wondered what could have happened in the few minutes since he had left the house.

"...and then the brawl between the two hot-heads and the 'BURNING' mode and the tennis ball flying...and the fishies... oh God the fishies! Syuichiroh loved those things!" Eiji was blubbering. "What am I going to do nya? WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?" Eiji shook Fuji by the collar, as if he expected the smiling man to have all the answers.

"Eiji, it was a lovely party. Thank you for inviting me," Fuji said politely once his brain rattled back into place.

"Don't think you can ditch me!" Eiji pointed an accusing finger at his former teammate. "You're staying to help fix this." He turned on Yuuta. "You, too!"

Leaving Oishi half on the stairs in what looked to be a highly uncomfortable position, Eiji marched into the living room, dragging Fuji behind him. Not having much choice, Yuuta sighed and followed.

The damage looked even worse up close. Eiji wasted no time in assigning the lingerers to various duties, yelling at the slackers as they moaned unintelligibly and flopped their arms in weak attempts to get up.

"Kaidoh! You're such a bum!" Eiji berated, after several jabs in the ribs with a racket failed to elicit a response.

"Maa, he just wasn't lucky in drinking that juice," Sengoku hummed cheerfully as he righted a vase that had tipped over. "And neither was Kita-kun," he noted, stepping over his fallen teammate.

"Kikumaru, you're out of paper towels," Tachibana informed him, holding a dripping wad of used paper towels in one hand.

"Go get some regular towels from the bathroom, then! Mou! Do I have to do everything around here?" Eiji huffed.

Kajimoto moved around silently, picking up trash and depositing it into the 5-gallon plastic trash bag Akazawa was listlessly dragging about. Tezuka just as silently moved into the kitchen with an armful of dishware to be washed.

Atobe cracked open an eye from where he was lying on the sofa and snickered at how all the commoners were being made to do house chores. How degrading, to be forced into maid duties!

"You, Hyotei! You have to clean, too!" Eiji snapped, noticing his inactivity.

"Ore-sama does not clean," Atobe told him smugly, buffing his fingernails against his coat. "It's beneath someone as great as ore-sama to pick up after anyone else. Na, Kabaji?"

"Usu."

"Yes, you will or I won't pay you!" Eiji threatened.

Atobe looked bored. "I already made more in tips tonight than you probably make in six months."

"Atobe-san, it's only the right thing to do," Choutaroh spoke up on Eiji's behalf. He felt horribly guilty about having killed the fish, even though it hadn't really been his fault. He looked back down at the dead slimy bodies, thinking that he should preserve them in the freezer so that Oishi could do with them as he wished later on. "We all contributed in making the mess so we should pitch in."

"Yeah," Shishido glared. If he had to help clean, so did Atobe. "If you don't, I'm going to tell everyone how you REALLY ended up with the dislocated hip that summer."

There was a brief silence during which time all eyes flew to Atobe. "Fine," he said grudgingly as he got up. "What do I have to do?"

"You can... hm..." Eiji looked around. Most of the jobs were already taken. "Oh, I know! You can clean the toilet!"

Atobe wrinkled his nose in distaste. "You want me to _what_?"

"Clean the toilet," Eiji repeated slowly, as if to a child. "Hiyoshi made a mess when he was sick in it... on it... around it... well, you'll see."

Giving Atobe a friendly shove in the right direction, he chirped, "You'll find the toilet brush and sanitizer under the sink. You'll definitely need them."

"Toilet... brush..." Atobe muttered, as if in a trance. "Ore-sama... cleaning up someone's vomit?" Shaking off his shock, he did the most logical thing a person with his very own lackey would do. "Come, Kabaji. I'll direct you while you clean."

"Usu." Kabaji followed after him docilely.

They had been cleaning for about an hour when Yuuta's cellphone went off. Considering the time, he didn't think anyone would be calling except for Mizuki, but the number was unfamiliar.

"Hello?"

"Yuuta! Save me!"

It was Mizuki, sounding quite panicked and breathless.

"Hajime, what's wrong?" Yuuta stopped scrubbing at a particularly stubborn juice stain on the sofa and sat back, cupping the receiver to his ear with both hands.

There was a pause and then Mizuki burst out with, "They're going to eat me alive! I'm too pretty for jail, damnit!"

"Whoa, whoa back up. You're in jail?" Yuuta asked incredulously.

"For drunk driving," Mizuki admitted, which caused Yuuta to start exclaiming and asking whether he had been hurt.

"I didn't hit anything... there was nothing on the road to hit! But you're missing the point! The men in here are already staring at me like I'm a piece of meat. You have to save me!" Mizuki wailed. "I don't want to become anyone's bitch! Mizuki Hajime is no one's bitch! Well, except maybe yours but there won't be any ass to own if you don't rescue me NOW!"

"Just hang on, I'll be there right away." Yuuta soothed him, and groped around for something to write down the necessary information. His hands found a napkin that wasn't too soiled and a marker.

"Come quickly," Mizuki said tearfully. "I love you."

"I'm already on my way, sweetie, don't worry," Yuuta promised, expression softening. "And I love you, too."

He looked up to see his brother hovering, apparently having listened in on his half of the conversation. "Mizuki?"

"Yeah. Looks like I have to go bail him out," Yuuta said fondly, getting to his feet. "Think you can give me a lift to the local police station?"

Fuji nodded. "Let's ask Tezuka to come with us. I have a feeling he owes Mizuki a favor... for past services rendered," he added with a wry smile.

Yuuta stared at him for a second. "I'm not even going to ask," he muttered, shaking his head.

xxxxx

The way Mizuki sounded on the phone, Yuuta had expected to find him cowering with fright in one corner of the holding cell as a bunch of hard, toughened criminals hovered over him with lecherous grins. But no, Mizuki was sitting on the bench, legs crossed and finger twirling around a lock of hair as he doled out beauty advice to his fellow inmates.

"The key is to exfoliate before you sleep," Mizuki was saying empathetically. "I can't stress this enough. Pores need to breathe."

One particularly big, tattooed guy with multiple body piercings and arms the size of Mizuki's thighs, spoke up hesitantly. "But my skin tends to dry out and flake," he ventured. "So I don't like to wash more than once a day."

"Do you use ordinary bar soap?"

A nod.

Mizuki tsked. "That's your problem right there. You need to splurge a bit if you want a beautiful complexion like mine." He patted his smooth, white cheek to illustrate. "Now, you have several choices when it comes to liquid cleansers. You have to pay attention to the specifics so that it matches your skin type. I personally recommend..." The men nodded worshipfully as Mizuki launched into a spiel about different brands, enlightening them to the error of their previous bar soap ways.

Fuji turned to Yuuta. "It looks like he's having fun. Maybe we should let him stay here until morning."

Yuuta shot him a dirty look. "That's not funny, aniki."

"But he's made so many new friends," Fuji teased.

Tezuka finished talking to the underling with the keys and signing release forms. He apparently felt he owed Mizuki a great deal, because he pulled quite a bit of strings and got the DUI charge dropped.

"You, pretty boy." The jailer beckoned to Mizuki. "You're free to go."

Mizuki jumped to his feet upon seeing his group of rescuers and threw himself at Yuuta exuberantly.

"Yuuta!" he cried happily, soundly kissing the taller man and blatantly feeling him up as if they'd been separated for months, not mere hours. "I _-kiss-_ thought _-kiss-_ I'd _-kiss-_ never _-kiss-_ get _-kiss-_ to _-kiss-_ see_ -kiss-_ you_ -kiss- _again."

Yuuta lost himself in the last extended kiss, barely noticing the hooting around them. It seemed that Mizuki, with his short-term memory for anything personally distasteful, had forgotten all about being mad at him. Yuuta decided not to question his luck and let it pass.

"Are you okay?" he asked tenderly when they finally broke for breath, still holding onto each other tightly.

"Mm." Mizuki nodded. "Now that you're here anyway."

"You can pick up your car at the impound lot." Tezuka handed Fuji the release slip, since neither Mizuki nor Yuuta had any free hands to spare.

"Can you just take us home?" Yuuta asked his brother. "I can catch a cab there tomorrow. It's late and I think it's better if we just get to bed."

"Oh most definitely," Mizuki purred in a sultry tone, quick to catch any sexual innuendo, intended or not. He looked at his lover with his best bedroom eyes, midnight blue eyes growing hazy and liquid with desire.

"Hajime." Yuuta blushed.

It was just too cute for words. Even Fuji had to admit that. The two complemented each other perfectly, Yuuta with his need to protect and please and Mizuki with his need for attention and pampering. They sat together in the backseat on the way home, making a pretty picture despite their rumpled state and the fact that their borrowed clothes were too tight on Yuuta and too baggy on Mizuki. Yuuta curled an arm protectively around Mizuki, who in turn cuddled up against him and made contented little 'nfu' sounds.

Maybe it could work out after all, Fuji relented. And if not, well, he had connections. He could always hire thugs to break Mizuki's kneecaps.

xxxxx

"Nande? Why is that guy wearing a dress?"

"He's the flower girl," Saeki answered patiently.

"Ahh... I never saw a man be a flower girl before," Itsuki marveled, before another sight caught his attention. "Nande? Why's that guy so springy? Nande? Nande?"

Gakuto was doing impressive one- and no-handed flips and cartwheels in the grass, coming to a stop right in front of an unimpressed Kajimoto. "Hah! Try to top that!" he cried triumphantly, palms slightly muddied from the exercise.

Kajimoto gave him a confused look. The guy had been following him ever since the bachelor party two days ago and trying to provoke him at every turn. He wasn't sure what he had done to earn the red-head's wrath but it was getting mighty tiring.

"Anou... I think I should get seated," he tried the tactful approach.

"Coward! Don't run from a fight!"

"Fight?" Kajimoto repeated blankly. "We're fighting?"

"You're not even a cute red-head," Gakuto scoffed, following Kajimoto over to his seat. "You think you're so great with your 'I can bend backward and almost touch the ground' thing. Well how useful is that when you're a stuffy old seme, anyway?" he pestered his new-found rival.

Oshitari followed behind the two, keeping a close eye on Gakuto. He didn't mind Gakuto getting all fired up over Eiji... after all they were both ukes and Eiji was already taken. But he had to make sure Kajimoto wouldn't try to steal what was rightfully his.

Wakato joined Kajimoto, looping his arms around the brown-haired man and landing a kiss on his cheek. The paparazzi that constantly hounded the popular actor gasped and snapped pictures. The ones that followed Oshitari also cashed in on the photo opportunity.

Well, it didn't really count when one acted gay for attention. Oshitari decided he still needed to keep tabs and slid into the seat next to Gakuto, who was now heckling Kajimoto about his choice in accessories.

"They're too loud," Shinji made his observation as he finished placing the last flower arrangement.

"I guess."

Shinji looked slightly annoyed at Ryoma's lack of enthusiasm. "Ano saa. You're supposed to be my new best friend. That means you're supposed to back me up no matter what I say. And I say they're too loud. Ah, maybe you're got a hearing problem. If so, that was thoughtless of me to say anything. Yes, I'm such a terrible best friend..." Shinji mourned.

"Echizen-kun!"

Ryoma flinched at the loud, cheerful voice that came right in his ear.

"Yahhh... it's been so long!" Aoi Kentaro enthused, taking his hands and bobbing them up and down. "How are you doing?"

Shinji frowned. "You there, I didn't give you permission to talk to my best friend. I was here first. I have the right to talk to him as long as I want. Che. How rude, some people. Butting into people's conversations. I'll crush you."

"Ahh... I'm sorry! I didn't realize you were talking to him!" Kentaro apologized with a hearty chuckle, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as he bowed repeatedly. "You were kind of mumbling off at the side!"

Ryoma glanced around for something to save him from the two. Kisarazu Atsushi and Ryoh were talking to Tanaka Youhei and Kouhei, probably discussing twin-ish things like how having two sets of wardrobe was useless when both sets of clothes were identical. Ann was towing Kamio over to where Momoshiro was, waving her raised arm in greeting. Bane was kicking Davide for a stupid joke and blaming him for being the reason Rokkaku hadn't been invited to the bachelor party while Oishi assured them that it had been because of overcrowding and fire regulations.

Bor-ing. Then, Ryoma saw her. His eyes nearly bugged out as they landed on a beautiful young lady with long mahogany hair, dressed in a skimpy sundress that showed off a lovely figure and well-shaped legs.

A D-cup, at least, Ryoma assessed. Slim waist, nice hips. A complete vision. And she was heading his way.

"Hello, Ryoma-kun," she said shyly.

And she knew his name, somehow.

"Uh..." He should check her face to try to place her but his eyes just wouldn't leave her chest area.

"Don't mind Ecchi-kun," Sengoku said easily as he slipped an arm around the girl's waist. "He's not used to having beautiful ladies talk to him without calling him a hentai."

"Che, how about you, Sengoku-senpai," Ryoma blustered, regaining his wits at the friendly ribbing. "You're the one who had a restraining order placed because you were stalking some girl."

"Maa, let's not talk about that," Sengoku laughed nervously. "It brings bad luck to talk about the past."

"Ahh..." Ryuzaki Sakuno blinked, a bit bewildered as Sengoku quickly started to lead her away. "Well, it was nice seeing you again, Ryoma-kun," she called over her shoulder.

"...and another thing, you're too cheerful. It makes me irritated... and kind of angry..."

"Yaaahhh! Am I really that cheerful?"

Ryoma sighed. He wanted this to be over with already.

xxxxx

Mizuki was preening in front of the mirror as Shishido helped him with the makeup. It wasn't like he needed any enhancement for his natural beauty but he wanted to make sure that beauty shone through in the photos.

"Now, don't make me look like some cheap whore, Shishido-kun," he warned.

Shishido stepped back a bit and examined his work thus far. "How about high-class prostitute?" he snorted sarcastically, still a bit peeved that he had been selected for the task. Why did everyone assume he'd be knowledgeable about make-up anyway? They should have asked Oshitari, if anything.

"That'll work."

Mizuki smoothed down the folds of his dress, beaming. Everything was happening perfectly as planned. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear without being hot or humid, he was having a particularly good hair day, and his mother had even thought to bring down her old wedding dress the day before for him to wear!

He had almost squealed when he had seen it and actually did after he first saw himself in it after alterations had been made. The voluminous skirts were made of airy fabric that seemed to float around him, with tiny rows of beads sewn on that flashed as they caught and reflected the light. The blinding white contrasted nicely with his dark hair and eyes, and the round scoop collar drew attention to the graceful lines of his neck, shoulders and collarbones. Much more flattering than a boring tux, although he was sure Yuuta would look absolutely delectable in his.

"We're almost ready to start, nya," Eiji skipped in, the short skirt of his pink summer frock that made up his flower girl outfit flipping up with each hop. He was followed by Oishi and Akazawa, both looking rather sharp in their tuxes.

"Ah, buchou, I have something for you," Mizuki said, picking up an extremely thick leatherbound notebook and handing it to Akazawa.

"Nani? What's that?" Eiji peered over Akazawa's shoulder.

"It's my much-treasured black book," Mizuki explained. "Filled with information of all the guys I slept with: ratings, preferred positions, kinks, size, stamina, the details. I no longer have a use for it but I figured buchou might."

"Wow! I knew you liked data, but you actually kept record of something like that?" Eiji exclaimed in awe, plucking the notebook out of Akazawa's hands and flipping through the pages. "Hey, look!" He stopped and jabbed at one of the entries excitedly. "You should go for him, Akazawa! This guy's a ten. 100 percent seme, likes it hard and fast, kinks: bondage, master/slave roleplay, light BDSM..."

"Who is he?" Shishido asked, interest piqued.

"Eto... let's see..." Eiji sought out the kanji that made up the name. "Sakaki Taro."

"Sakaki...? As in _kantoku_?" Shishido recoiled in disgust, staring at Mizuki as if he was the lowest lifeform on Earth. There had to be _at least_ a 20-year age difference. Probably closer to 30. "You sick bastard."

Mizuki scoffed. "Oh like none of you Hyotei boys joined his team with the hopes of getting a congratulatory slap on the ass."

"No! We didn't!" Shishido paused, thinking of the way some of the others had stared after the elegant man with lust and reverence in their eyes. "Well, _I_ didn't."

"Let's see if there's anyone else we know!" Eiji flipped through the pages once more.

"Eiji!" Oishi scolded his lover, trying to close the book. "That's private."

"Eh? But Akazawa doesn't mind if I take a peek, ne, Akazawa?" He didn't wait for an answer as he plunged on, "Why don't you want me to look?"

"It's just not right," Oishi insisted.

Eiji paused momentarily at the rebuke, but then his eyes grew wide. "Unnyaa! You're in here, aren't you?" he pounded the pages for emphasis as Oishi sweatdropped. "Why would you do such a thing? That's so mean!"

"Eiji..."

"Was it because I chucked that orange sweater your mom gave you into the lake? It was really hideous nya!"

"No! I would never-" Oishi paused, processing Eiji's words. "Wait, that was you? You said that Momoshiro did that. By accident."

"Oh... hehe... so I did." Eiji backed out slowly. "Well, I better check on... um... things... yes... things... now." He tossed the notebook to Akazawa and zipped out of there in a hurry.

"That Eiji," Oishi sighed.

Mizuki shrugged nonchalantly. "You married him."

"Yeah, so I did." An affectionate smile graced Oishi's lips. "Congratulations, by the way," he said sincerely. "I know you and Yuuta will be happy together."

"Of course. We're perfect together, you know," Mizuki said truthfully, stilling so that Shishido could fix the veil to his hair.

xxxxx

"You know this isn't legally binding, right?" Nomura asked, tugging at the collar of his priestly garb. "And even if it was, the church wouldn't recognize it."

"Just make it as official as you can make it," Yuuta replied easily. "We really appreciate you doing this, by the way."

Nomura smiled beatifically. "It's no problem. You're both my friends and love shouldn't be restricted by gender in the first place."

"Nomura-kun," Yanagisawa poked his head in. "We're ready to start da ne!"

"I'll see you out there."

Fuji extracted an envelope from the inner pocket of his jacket and held it out to Yuuta.

"What is this?" Yuuta asked curiously.

"The oshugi," Fuji responded with a smile.

Opening the flap, Yuuta did indeed see a stack of money. But also nestled in there was a business card for Fuji Syusuke, divorce attorney.

Yuuta twitched. "If this wasn't the happiest day of my life, I would hit you."

"It's just a joke," Fuji laughed, patting his brother on the shoulder. Then a bit more seriously, "I really do wish you all the best."

Yuuta looked at him distrustfully. There had to be a catch.

"Just think how fun our family reunions will be," Fuji continued cheerfully. "I'm sure Mizuki and I will find some common ground, since we both adore you so. We can swap stories about your most humiliating moments." He tapped his chin, considering. "I wonder if he heard of the time you grabbed onto that stranger in the supermarket and called her mommy."

"Baka aniki!" Yuuta turned beet red. "You better not tell him _anything_!"

"But you were so cute, thinking you'd been abandoned!"

Yuuta could see it now, his brother telling his husband about all those embarrassing childhood incidents and his husband recounting stories about blundered flirtation attempts on his crushes during adolescence, not to mention that awful, awful stripper incident, which, no thanks to his brother, was no longer the only awful stripper incident in his life. He _definitely_ had to keep the two apart.

xxxxx

The wedding was a beautiful affair. Taichi was absolutely adorable as the ringbearer, wearing a white headband to match his all-white outfit. Eiji managed to keep his fidgeting to a minimum. Fuji didn't execute any assassination or abduction plots, and Akazawa managed to keep from crying until the vows were exchanged and everyone had moved on to the location of the reception.

"Oh, Hajime, you look so beautiful," Yumiko gushed, fawning all over the dark-haired man as always. She wasn't sure about her brother Syusuke's sexual orientation but figured Mizuki was the closest thing she'd get to a sister. "May I have a kiss from the bride?"

Mizuki nodded, a bit overwhelmed by the feminine attention but pleased as well by the display of affection from his new family.

Instead of kissing him chastely on the cheek as everyone else had done, Yumiko planted a long smooch on the lips.

"Neesan!" Yuuta cried, shocked.

"You're both gay. It's not like it's cheating," she said flippantly, smoothing back her hair.

"Still," Yuuta grumped, a bit put out. His older siblings were both so evil!

Fuji tilted his head and studied Mizuki, who was looking uncharacteristically flustered and... embarrassed? Right. With his all-boys' school upbringing and preference for exclusively male company, this was probably the first time he'd been touched by a girl who wasn't related by blood.

"I haven't gotten a kiss either," Fuji remarked and before anyone could react, he had pressed forward and was kissing Mizuki.

It was the most stunning sight Yuuta had ever seen. His brother, who had always _loathed_ Mizuki, was now swapping spit with him, slipping in tongue action that was _quite_unnecessary. All the other guests similarly gawked, until long after Fuji had released the dark-haired man.

"Thank you, Mizuki."

"Ah... you're welcome..." Mizuki managed to say.

Shaking off his paralysis, Yuuta pulled Mizuki to him possessively. "If everyone can keep their hands and lips off my br- husband now," he growled.

Mizuki chuckled, a low, sexy sound that Yuuta never got tired of hearing. "Don't be so jealous, Yuuta-kun," he purred. "I'm yours alone, you know that."

"Damn straight." Rather ironic statement, but it was even more ironic that Yuuta, who was currently wearing the literal pants in the relationship, was taking on Mizuki's name instead of the other way around. Mizuki Yuuta... it had a nice ring to it.

Fuji smiled as the newlyweds kissed, tapping his bottom lip thoughtfully.

"Yuuta."

"What is it?" Yuuta's eyes remained trained on Mizuki.

"You realize... we just shared an indirect kiss."

Yuuta facefaulted. How was he supposed to perform during the honeymoon with _that_ thought on his mind?

"Don't worry, Yuuta-kun." Mizuki tiptoed up and murmured throatily in his ear, "There's plenty of other places your brother's mouth has never been."

"God, does your mind ever get out of the gutter?"

"Never." Mizuki winked, pinching Yuuta's behind. "Besides, you know you like it when I talk dirty."

"As much as I like you using your mouth for various other things," Yuuta agreed. "Let's get the hell out of here and start our honeymoon."

xxxxx

After the cutting of the cake and the throwing of the bouquet - during which Gakuto clawed his way to the front and got involved in several cat-fights with the other singles to prove his superiority in athletic endeavors - the newlyweds left and most of the guests broke off into small groups to chat in the darkening light.

"I just love happy endings," Oishi sniffed, a bit teary-eyed.

"Another successful wedding, planned by yours truly!" Eiji snuggled up against him, purring like a kitten. "Ne, Syuichiroh?"

"Yes, dear?"

"What do you think of Ohtori-Shishido pair?"

"What?" Oishi blinked.

"For my next job nya. I sensed strong love-love vibes between them." Eiji rubbed his hands together, plotting. "With the right push, I'm sure I can have them hitched by the end of the year."

Oishi rubbed at his temple, a headache coming on as he remembered their ruined home. They probably lost more in damages than Eiji earned with every job.

"What, no good? How about Oshitari x Mukahi? Fuji x Taka? Tachibana x Tezuka? Akazawa x Kaneda? Akutsu x Taichi? Inui x Kaidoh? Ibu x Echizen? Kajimoto x Wakato? Atobe x Kabaji? Horio x Katsuo?" Eiji ticked off in rapid succession. He pounded a fist on the flat of his palm. "Ah! I know! Inui x Arai! Or Fuji x Kaidoh! O-oi! Syuichiroh! Where are you going? Wait up! Mou..."

xxxxx

**OWARI DA!**

xxxxx

October 28, 2003

xxxxx

oshugi: monetary gift given at weddings, generally around 30000 yen

Author's Note: Ending was a bit rushed and cramped because it was my last chance to fit everyone/everything in. That said, this was extremely fun to write and I just regret that I couldn't insert Rikkaidai (except Kirihara, of course!). But even after putting this off for this long, I'm only in the middle of the Rokkaku matches. If you feel Rikkaidai got shafted, you can just pretend they, too, were at the wedding.

Now, for the much put-off responses to your reviews... (most longer than the actual reviews, eheh)

Yami no Tenshi. There you go. Boys in dresses. :D I can't draw for sticks so you'll have to use your imagination on this. As for the lack of Ohtori-Shishido love, I decided to make it up to them by using them for my next fic, hopefully keeping the same fluffy style (teaser can be found at my site).

zodi. Whoa someone who doesn't think Johsei was a total waste of space! They're funny... so easy to poke fun at. Ohta reminds me of the Little Engine that Could, with his "eraeraeraera" as he runs up Kirayama's back. -dies laughing- I wish I could have fit in Wakato's "CHANGE!" "OVER!" line somewhere but I kept forgetting. P As for Atobe, I think it's safe to assume he wears leopard-print thongs, just from his CD cover. It's the necessary staple for all strippers. :9

Anon. I always figured Ryoma would turn out to be a skirt-chasing hentai so what better job than to become a florist, to save on buying flowers? (sidenote - a survey showed that florist and sweet shop owner were two of the three most popular career choices in Japan) I originally intended to have his freshmen buddies work with him, only Sengoku wanted in on Ryoma's devious plan and brought Taichi and Akutsu with him. At that point, the WK parallel was beating itself over my head and suddenly, it became a parody. O.o Shinji's also a florist because he's like that boy in kindergarten who wants whatever his seatmate has, be it lego blocks or chicken pox. As for Mizuki and Yuuta's jobs... uh... I don't know. They make yummy BL dramas together and have voice-sex for fangirls to drool over. The Fruits Basket name-borrowing was obvious, but how about Fushigi Yuugi (Yui-sama!) and Rurouni Kenshin (Kenji... cute red-head with Fuji's seiyuu!)?

Akari. Your flattering comments made me sparkle, really they did. :D And Mizuki's sluttiness gives joy to many... too many to count. XD -pimps him out to even more TeniPuri guys-

midd. When I thought your review was a quasi-flame, I made a conscious effort to get part 2 to make sense to someone other than myself. Of course, I abandoned that effort the part after THAT, but still, comment well appreciated.

Hissori. Sankyuu! Coincidentally, I came upon your blog when googling "Yuuta Mizuki fic" and saw you'd rec'd this fic right from the get-go! :D:D I can't tell you how much that made my day; it almost made up for the disappointment of not finding any new Yu/Mi fics to read.

Aishuu. I like the thought of Kaidoh surrounded by chibis who adore him. :D That and Inui as a calculating actuary were the inspiration that spawned this entire thing. It was fun trying to think up interesting jobs and incorporating minor characters that make most people go "who the heck is that?"

sakura2814. DISCLAIMER: This author is not responsible for any brain damage indirectly caused by this fic. XD Hope you did well on your finals.

YumiYa. Yuuta/Mizuki fics are rare... more so than Fujicest or even Fuji/Mizuki. But I've been seeing a lot more Yu/Mi as of late. Wai! (Whoa, I just noticed your handle could be like... Yuuta, Mizuki, Yanagisawa threeway)

Eris Snow. Your comments reminded me how adorable Shinji is, and led me to add more of him than I had originally planned. Although I'm terrible at writing random mumbles, I realized.

yume. Thanks. :D Maybe my sense of humor isn't so odd after all.

Aerysa. Woot! Hearing a self-proclaimed non-shounen ai fan say Mizuki and Yuuta should definitely end up together gives me warm, fuzzy feelings. I don't care if I'm totally taking things out of context! -waves Yu/Mi banner-

mainey. I'm clueless why everyone seems so amused by policeman!Tezuka (stripper!Atobe, I can understand...). But as long as you were entertained... it's all good.

MiakaKiller. Yuuta would bludgeon me to death if there was mental torture or any more Fuji/Mizuki hints so you'll have to be satisfied with this.

magnolia. Wai! Fellow Yummi-fan! -takes by hands and hops up and down, Kikumaru-style- I'm glad my scribbles could make your day a little brighter. :D Kamio and Ann make a super-adorable couple, don't they?

The Magician of Black Chaos. Same response as for MiakaKiller, only switch Yuuta and Mizuki's names. So yeah... gomen ne if you were reading in hopes of Fujicest!

So a big round of thank yous, especially those who kept coming back for more and let me know it with your kind reviews. I hope I was able to spread the Yuuta/Mizuki love, even though Eiji ended up hijacking most of the fic. Pshh. Upstager.

Well, you read up to here. Why not tell me what you thought of the whole shebang by submitting some feedback? Good, bad, lukewarm... comments of "I thought this would really suck by the summary/opening but I just have THAT much time on my hands" or "WTF? Jiroh should have been a mattress tester!"... anything's welcome! :D


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